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Qatar - Working time - 2011


LAST UPDATE

16 September 2011

SOURCES


Name of Act

Law No. 14 of the Year 2004 issuing the Labour Law of Qatar
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LEGAL DEFINITIONS


Employee/worker

Any natural person who works in return for a wage for an employer or under his control or supervision.
Labour Law Art.1

Employer

Any natural or legal person employing one or more workers in return for a wage.
Labour Law Art.1

Young worker

Juvenile means any natural person who has reached the age of sixteen but has not reached the age of eighteen.
Therefore, young workers are the workers who are between 16 and 18 years old.
Labour Law Art.1, art.86

NORMAL HOURS LIMITS


Daily hours limit


General limit

The general limit is 8 working hours per day.

The time spent by the worker in transportation to and from the place of work and residence of the worker shall not form part of the working hours.
Labour Law Art.73

Exceptions

During Ramadan (1 month) the maximum working hours shall be 6 hours per day.

The general limit shall not apply to the persons occupying responsible positions if these positions confer upon the occupiers thereof powers exercisable by the employer over the workers.

In addition, the general limit shall not apply to the following categories:
1. The workers carrying out preparatory and complementary works that shall be performed before or after the working time.
2. Guarding and cleaning workers.
3. The other categories of workers to be specified by a Decision of the Minister.
The maximum working hours for these works shall be specified by a Decision of the Minister.
Labour Law Art.73, 76

Special categories


» Young workers

Young workers may not be employed more than the normal working hours, and may not be retained in the place of work for more than 7 continuous hours.
Labour Law Art.89

Weekly hours limit


General limit

The maximum ordinary working hours shall be 48 hours per week.

The time spent by the worker in transportation to and from the place of work and residence of the worker shall not form part of the working hours.
Labour Law Art.73

Exceptions

During Ramadan (1 month) the maximum working hours shall be 36 hours per month.

The general limit shall not apply to the persons occupying responsible positions if these positions confer upon the occupiers thereof powers exercisable by the employer over the workers.

In addition, the general limit shall not apply to the following categories:
1. The workers carrying out preparatory and complementary works that shall be performed before or after the working time.
2. Guarding and cleaning workers.
3. The other categories of workers to be specified by a Decision of the Minister.
The maximum working hours for these works shall be specified by a Decision of the Minister.
Labour Law Art.73, 76

Special categories


» Young workers

The normal working hours for the Juvenile may not exceed thirty six hours per week at the rate of six hours per day with the exception of the month of Ramadan when the working hours shall not exceed twenty four hours per week at the rate of four hours per day.

The time which the Juvenile spends in transporting between his residence and place of work shall not be calculated in the working hours.
Labour Law Art. 90

OVERTIME WORK


Criteria for overtime


General

The workers may be required by the employer to perform additional hours of work.
Labour Law Art.74

Limits on overtime hours


General limits

The number of working hours that a worker may be requested to perform shall not exceed 10 hours per day.
Labour Law Art.74

Restrictions/exceptions

The limit of 10 hours may be exceeded in the cases when overtime work is necessary for the prevention of gross loss or dangerous accident or for the repair or alleviation of the consequences of the said loss or accident.

The general limit shall not apply to the persons occupying responsible positions if these positions confer upon the occupiers thereof powers exercisable by the employer over the workers.

In addition, the general limit shall not apply to the following categories:
1. The workers carrying out preparatory and complementary works that shall be performed before or after the working time.
2. Guarding and cleaning workers.
3. The other categories of workers to be specified by a Decision of the Minister.
The maximum working hours for these works shall be specified by a Decision of the Minister.
Labour Law Art.74, 76

Compensation for overtime work


Overtime rate(s)

The employer shall pay to the worker for the additional working hours the rate of not less than the basic wage plus not less than 25% thereof.
Labour Law Art.74

SCHEDULES


General

The employer shall post up on the main gates used by the workers in entering and in a conspicuous position of the working place a table of the closing or weekly rest day, the working hours and rest intervals for all categories of workers and shall notify the Department with a copy of such table.
Labour Law Art.77

Special categories


Young workers

Every employer employing a Juvenile or more shall post up in a conspicuous place a clear statement of the working hours, the Juveniles employed by him and their intervals of rest.
Labour Law Art.92 (2)

REST PERIODS


Rest breaks


General provisions

The working hours shall include an interval or more for prayer, rest and taking of meals which interval or intervals shall not be less than one hour and shall not be more than three hours.

The said intervals shall not be taken into consideration in calculating the working hours in fixing the rest interval but the worker shall not work for more than five consecutive hours.
Labour Law Art.73

Exceptions

The Minister shall by a decision specify the types of work in respect of which the work may continue without stoppage for the purpose of rest.
Labour Law Art.73

Special categories


» Young workers

The working hours shall include one or more intervals for rest or taking meals so that the Juvenile may not work continuously for more than three consecutive hours. Such interval or intervals shall not be calculated as part of the working hours.
Labour Law Art.90

Weekly rest periods


Duration


» General

The worker shall be allowed of a weekly paid rest which shall not be less than 24 consecutive hours.
Labour Law Art.75

» Exceptions

With the exception of shift workers a worker shall not be required to work more than two consecutive Fridays.
Labour Law Art.75

Day specified


» General

Friday shall be the weekly rest day for all workers with the exception of the shift workers.
Labour Law Art.75

Work on weekly rest day


» Criteria

The worker may be requested to perform work on a rest day if the circumstances so necessitates.
Labour Law Art.75

» Compensation (for working on a rest day)

Workers who perform work on a rest day shall be compensated with another day of rest as well as with the remuneration payable to him for the ordinary weekly rest day or his basic wage plus an increase of not less than 150%.

This compensation procedure shall not apply to the persons occupying responsible positions if these positions confer upon the occupiers thereof powers exercisable by the employer over the workers.

In addition, the compensation procedure shall not apply to the following categories:
1. The workers carrying out preparatory and complementary works that shall be performed before or after the working time.
2. Guarding and cleaning workers.
3. The other categories of workers to be specified by a Decision of the Minister.
Labour Law Art.75,76

Special categories


» Young workers

Young workers may not be employed on the days of rest.
Labour Law Art.89

ANNUAL LEAVE AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS


ANNUAL LEAVE


Qualifying period

The worker who has completed one continuous year in the service of the employer shall be entitled to enjoy annual leave with pay.
Labour Law Art.79

Duration


» General

Annual leave shall not be less than three weeks for the worker whose service is less than five years and four weeks for the worker whose service is more than five years.
In addition, the worker shall be entitled to enjoy a leave corresponding to the fractions of the year in proportion to the period of his service.

The Muslim worker shall be entitled to leave without pay, not exceeding two weeks to fulfil his obligation to go to pilgrimage once during the period of his service.
The employer shall specify the number of the workers who may be granted such leave annually in accordance with the work requirements subject to giving priority to the worker who has been in continuous service for a longer period whenever the circumstances of the work permit.
Labour Law Art.79, 83

Payment


» Amount

Annual leave is paid. To this respect, the amount that the worker receive shall be calculated on the basis of his basic wage on the date of entitlement and if the worker is employed on a piece-by-piece work basis the entitlement shall be calculated on the basis of his average wages for the three months preceding the date of entitlement.
Labour Law Art.72

Schedule and splitting

The employer shall fix the date of the annual leave for the worker in accordance with the work requirements and may divide the leave with the consent of the worker provided that the division shall not be into more than two periods.

However, the employer may on a written application of the worker postpone not more than half of the annual leave to the year following the year of its entitlement.
Labour Law Art.80

Work during annual leave

The worker shall not, during any of his leaves, work for another employer and if it has been proved to the employer that the worker has contravened this provision he may deprive him from his wage for the period of the leave and recover what he has already paid of that wage.
Labour Law Art.84

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS


Number and dates

The worker shall be entitled to annually, leave with full wage as follows: 1. Three working days for Eid EI-Fitr
2. Three working days for Eid Al-Adha
3. One working day for the Independence day
4. Three working days to be specified by the employer.
Labour Law Art.78

Work on Public Holidays


» Criteria

Workers who perform work on a public holiday shall enjoy compensatory rest as well as the remuneration payable to him plus an increase of not less than 150%.
Labour Law Art.78, art.75

NIGHT WORK


Compensation

The workers who work between 9pm and 6am shall be paid the basic wage plus not less than 50% thereof with the exception of the shift workers.
Labour Law Art.74

Special categories


Young workers

A Juvenile may not be employed between sunset and sunrise.
Labour Law Art.89

Women

Women shall not be employed otherwise than in the times to be specified by a Decision of the Minister
Labour Law Art.95
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CASUAL WORK


General provisions

Casual work is the work which is by its very nature not included in the activities carried on by the employer and the performance of which does not take more than four weeks.
Labour Law Art.1

SHORT-TIME WORK/WORK-SHARING


General provisions

Temporary work shall mean the work whose nature necessitates its performance in a limited period or which is limited to a certain work and ends upon its performance.
Labour Law Art.1

Results generated on: 29th March 2024 at 12:19:44.
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