# Lunch Breaks - labour law



## kippiiii (May 13, 2015)

Hello,
My work has just started imposing a labour law that I must take a 60 minute lunch break as I work more than 5 hours. I normally take 15-30 minutes. This will increase the length of my day so I am not happy.
Any one know if it is within the law to opt out of the mandatory 60 minute lunch break?
Thanks


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## Dibblington (Apr 20, 2015)

If it is a law, you can't opt in or out as you feel. Otherwise I'd like opt out of the law for speeding please.

You'll get more reliable answers going through the official channels rather than an internet forum.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Has the time you have to take the break been specified? If not, couldn't you say you will leave at a certain time and consider the hour from the time you leave to be your break?


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

In our company, which is normally a bit of a stickler for the rules, they recently reduced the lunch break to 30 minutes as default and brought close of play forward 30 minutes.

People can have 60 mins and leave later if its okay with their bosses.

I suspect that 30 minutes is the minimum, but working hours would be at the discretion of the company as long as the number of days and total hours don't change.


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

Dibblington said:


> If it is a law, you can't opt in or out as you feel. Otherwise I'd like opt out of the law for speeding please.
> 
> You'll get more reliable answers going through the official channels rather than an internet forum.


This example is entirely irrelevant. If the labor law states for instance that you should a maximum of 48 hrs weekly and you willingly worked more for extra pay nobody can say you opted out of the law. There are laws made to protect employees, and the lunch break thing is one of them, if you don't avail it you can negotiate it in a friendly way and leave early.

Rules for speeding involve the safety of others and are preventive to accidents and causalities, opting out lunch break won't harm anyone imho.

I work for 7 hours daily, and utilize my whole lunch break hour and instead work 6 days a week. Some of my colleagues work 12 hours daily shifts and work 4 days only a week. This is one of things I like the most about Dubai, working hours flexibility.


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## Sootydaz (Dec 29, 2014)

Our company was recently audited by the ministry and on the of the findings was that employees were not taking a lunch break as per their timesheets, so we have all now been told that a mandatory 1 hour break is to be taken no exceptions allowed.


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