(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The three-hour midday break rule imposed by the Ministry of Manpower for outdoor workers is being blatantly violated.
Upon visiting several sites Muscat Daily found workers toiling away in the sun either because the project deadlines were close or they were not informed by contractors what the rule exactly says. The rule mandates that all outdoor workers should be given a break from 12.30pm to 3.30pm for three months from June 1 irrespective of the size of the project or the contracting company.
Mohammed Imran a crane operator at a construction site in Wattayah said he gets only an hour off. 'Our company has told us that the rule is only for big firms and not small or medium sized ones.'
A worker painting a building during the break period said 'Our boss has told us we can't spend many days on this project and need to finish before Ramadan starts. Our company has rented a crane from a third party to get the job completed. There is pressure on us to finish the project and return the crane as early as possible.' Officials from the construction company could not be reached for comment.
Ahmed Shezad a blue collar worker at a site inDarsait said an approaching deadline was the reason why he was working during break time. 'Our contractor has said that we need to finish this portion (of the project) by the end of this week.' With no place to rest except in the shade of nearby trees Shezad works during the rest period taking only a brief time off for lunch. 'I eat under a tree and resume work.'
An official from the Ministry of Manpower(MoM) said that its inspectors have caught several companies flouting the rule.
'We have set up a hotline and we follow up on reports of violations from the public. Several companies have already been investigated and in the near future MoM will let the public know how many violations have been recorded' he said.
Even if workers get their three-hour break lack of arrangements to rest makes the rule lose its purpose. There are no shelters at most work sites forcing workers to rest either under trees or find other shaded spots.
A group was resting under a flyover. Khadim Hussain a worker from the group said 'We are given the break but not provided an air-conditioned room or shaded spot. So we have to look for shade ourselves. Our construction site is about 20 minutes from the flyover under which we rest.'
Rajender his co-worker added 'We are unable to sleep from the noise from vehicles. The heat produced by the vehicles makes it unbearable. We just sit around till the break ends.' He said they arrive at the site at 5.30am and leave by 7.30pm.
Some workers were seen sleeping under the trees in a Darsait graveyard. Shamel R said 'Our company does not give us a place to rest. I have a friend who stays in this area so I use his room but some of my co-workers sleep in a shaded spot in the graveyard.'
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