UAE legal Q&As: Can a non-Muslim eat on the bus during Ramadan?

Ramadan protocol, a company removing employee benefits and dashboard cameras.

Is it permissible to eat in a vehicle that is being driven to and from work during Ramadan? There is a non-Muslim staff member at my work who insists on eating on the bus to and from work. The driver is Muslim and the other non-Muslims do not eat on the bus out of respect for him, and because it is Ramadan. The drive is about one hour each way and the person eating even has his own office with a door he can close, so he could eat there.

A bus that belongs to a third party, in this case your employer, and is used to transport employees to and from work is considered a public place and, as we all know, it is forbidden to eat in a public place in daytime during Ramadan.

In light of the above, the staff member who eats on the bus is breaching the law.

Other members of staff have the right to file a complaint against him to your employer or his superior in work, who can then serve him a notice under article 120 of the Labour Law. Alternatively, the Muslim driver could file a complaint to the police.

If found guilty, the man could be either fined or jailed.

In my first year of employment, my company gradually cancelled the incentives and benefits stipulated in my three-year employment contract on the pretence of a change in company policy. I have already argued that the new policy only applies to new employees but they are adamant. Can I file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour?

The employment contract and offer are considered as consensual agreements and both parties should abide by what has been agreed upon.

However, company policy has nothing to do with the execution of the contract, so you may only file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour if the employer has breached the contract and has not settled their entitlements under it.

Is it legal to use dashboard cameras here in the UAE with the purpose of using footage in court to prove your innocence? Dash cams are used all over the world. There are many situations when a vehicle dash cam are useful for recording accidents.

It is illegal to use dashboard cameras without the legal permission from the concerned authority, such as Dubai Police’s traffic department.

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