A senior Islamic scholar has urged businessmen to abide by Shariah and be kind to workers. “Shariah prevents employers from forcing workers to work under the scorching sun,” Dr. Ali Bin Abass Al-Hakami, member of the Board of Senior Ulema, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has received numerous complaints from expatriate workers who have said their employers force them to work under the hot summer sun. According to Labor Ministry regulations, employers cannot force people to work in the sun from 12 noon to 3 P.M. during July and August. The midday break rule was first implemented in 2007 as per a Cabinet decision that stipulated all outdoor work in these two months should come to a halt during the specified hours. Article 98 of the new Labor Law also stipulates that employers cannot make people work for more than eight hours a day. The NSHR has called upon construction companies and organizations concerned to reduce the working hours of field workers in the summer. The Ministry of Labor said that it will intensify its inspections from July 1 to Aug. 31 to ensure that workers take a break between 12 noon and 3 P.M. to escape the scorching summer heat. But an Okaz/Saudi Gazette field survey Thursday found laborers working during peak heat hours at construction sites. Abdul Ghafour Ayuob, a 50-year-old Pakistani construction worker, said he has been working in the field for 20 years, and has never been given a respite during hot summer days. His compatriot worker Anwar Saddiki said, “The hot sun has burnt our bodies. I have no alternative but to work regardless of any circumstances, because I have to sustain my family which consists of a wife and five small children back home.” Hamid Al-Jahni, member of the Arab Organization for Human Rights and a labor consultant, said forcing workers to work under the scorching sun is a flagrant violation of human rights punishable by law. Saud Abdul Rahman Al-Shamri, member of the Shoura Council, said the law issued by the Ministry of Labor which bans workers from working in the hot summer sun conforms with the International Labor Law. __
