Dubai: The holy month of Ramadan is going to start from March 1. Preparations are going on for this all over the world. During this entire month, Muslims observe Roza (fast), in which they remain without eating or drinking anything for about 13 to 14 hours. The UAE government has taken a special step for working people on this occasion.
In a statement posted on Monday, the ministry said, “Companies may reduce working hours during Ramadan depending on the needs and nature of their work.” According to the UAE government statement, during Ramadan in the UAE, instead of 8-hour shifts, the shifts will be of 5 to 3 hours only. During Ramadan, the shifts on Fridays will be from 9 am to 12 pm and on the rest of the days, work will be done from 9 am to 2:30 PM.
The UAE government has also allowed companies to give work from home to 70 percent of their staff. The government’s purpose behind giving all these concessions is to take care of the productivity and health of the employees during Ramadan.
Apart from UAE, Saudi, Qatar etc. have also taken similar steps. In Saudi Arabia, offices will work only from 10 am to 3 pm, while in India too some state governments have reduced working hours for Muslim employees.
This year the fasting in UAE will be around 13 to 14 hours. In this, the fasting Muslims remain without eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset. During Ramadan, Muslims also strictly observe Namaz, Taraweeh and Quran and during this time they try to avoid every wrong deed.
