3.3 Company Obligations, Guard Rights and the Fine Schedule
Key Takeaways
Article 34 of Ministerial Decision No. 557 limits a guard's working day to 9 hours unless written approval is obtained, pays each overtime hour at twice the ordinary rate, and requires one day off a week.
The company must provide uniforms and approved equipment free of charge (Article 37), a written contract (Article 43) and a written salary receipt showing deductions (Article 42).
Under Article 120, sleeping on duty costs a guard AED 200, leaving the place of work costs AED 500, and abusing one's position costs AED 2,000.
The Labour Law sets normal hours at 8 per day or 48 per week, caps overtime at 2 hours a day, and pays overtime at basic wage plus at least 25%.
From 15 June to 15 September, outdoor work in direct sun is banned from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm, with fines of AED 5,000 per worker up to AED 50,000.
Quick Answer: Security employees are protected twice over. The Ministry of Interior's executive order (Ministerial Decision No. 557 of 2008) contains guard-specific rules, such as a 9-hour working day, overtime at double pay, free uniforms and paid training. The Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021) applies to everything else (Article 113 of the order). In return, guards must follow strict conduct rules backed by a fixed fine table in Article 120. Company failures are fined under Article 119. Serious breaches, such as using an unlicensed guard, attract the criminal penalties of the Law.
Employment terms required by the executive order (Article 34)
When contracting a security employee, the company must observe these rules:
| Term | Rule in Article 34 |
|---|---|
| Minimum monthly salary | AED 6,000 for UAE citizens and AED 2,000 for expatriates. The basic salary excludes overtime, accommodation, transport, end-of-service and other benefits. |
| Working day | No more than 9 hours, unless the security officer's written approval is obtained |
| Overtime | Each overtime hour is paid at twice the ordinary hourly rate |
| Working week | Six days a week, with a day off; the text says employees may not be made to work on holidays even with their written agreement |
| Leave | One month of paid vacation for each year |
| Travel | A return ticket once every two years |
| End of service | End-of-service benefits |
| Accommodation | Decent accommodation or an accommodation allowance |
| Health | Comprehensive health insurance |
| Transport | Transport to and from work, or a transport allowance |
| Visas | The company pays all costs of visas, residence and the procedures needed to start work |
Other company obligations
- Accommodation standards (Article 35): each employee has their own bed with about two feet of space around it and their own cupboard. Toilets and bathrooms must be adequate in number and separate. There must be a kitchen, dining hall, laundry facilities, recreation space, a person in charge, and a guard on duty around the clock.
- Internal fines (Article 36): if the company fines an employee, it must document the infringement, give the reasons in writing and report the amount to the authority within 7 days.
- Uniforms and equipment (Articles 37–38): these are provided free, in one uniform design approved by the authority. The company may not change the uniform without permission.
- ID card (Article 103): a company ID showing the holder's name and number, worn on duty.
- Salary receipt (Article 42): a written receipt each month showing every deduction or addition.
- Contract (Article 43): a written contract setting out rights, duties and benefits, with a copy for the employee.
- Training (Articles 109–111): the company pays training fees, pays two-thirds of salary during training, provides transport, treatment and residence, and gives 24 hours' leave before any licensing test.
- Labour Law (Article 113): the treatment of security employees is subject to the federal labour law. Negligence over salaries or hours, and any maltreatment, is an infringement.
The Labour Law baseline (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021)
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Normal hours | At most 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week (Article 17) |
| Breaks | No more than 5 consecutive hours without rest periods totalling at least one hour; shift establishments may organise this differently (Article 18) |
| Overtime limit | At most 2 hours a day except as the Executive Regulation allows, and total hours may not exceed 144 every three weeks (Article 19) |
| Overtime pay | Basic hourly wage plus at least 25%. Overtime between 10 pm and 4 am earns at least 50%, but shift workers are excluded from that night rate. Work on the rest day earns a substitute day off or pay plus at least 50%. (Article 19) |
| Annual leave | 30 days a year after one year of service |
Where the executive order gives a guard a better entitlement, such as double-rate overtime, that more generous rule is the one to remember for the exam.
The midday break
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) applies a midday break every year from 15 June to 15 September. Work under direct sunlight and in open areas stops between 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm. Employers must provide shade, cool drinking water and rehydration, and each violation is fined AED 5,000 per worker, up to AED 50,000 for several workers. For guards, this usually means an air-conditioned or shaded booth during those hours, with outdoor patrols rescheduled. Section 5.3 covers heat illness.
Fines on security employees (Article 120)
| No. | Infringement | Fine (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giving instructions to break the Law, the order or the authority's instructions | 5,000 |
| 2 | A security manager ignoring or not cooperating with the authority | 5,000 |
| 3 | Not informing the authority of required data within the legal period | 2,500 |
| 4 | Not wearing the authority's security card on duty | 200 |
| 5 | Not wearing the approved company uniform on duty | 500 |
| 6 | Not taking enough care of clothes and appearance | 200 |
| 7 | Not telling the company about a lost authority card within 24 hours | 200 |
| 8 | Sleeping on duty | 200 |
| 9 | Not obeying or cooperating with the follow-up team or police | 500 |
| 10 | Leaving the place of work on duty for any reason | 500 |
| 11 | Not wearing all required uniform accessories | 200 |
| 12 | Cheating, or helping anyone cheat, in a test | 1,000 |
| 13 | Giving the follow-up team wrong information during an inspection | 1,000 |
| 14 | Behaving badly towards others on duty | 1,000 |
| 15 | Doing a job other than the one assigned | 1,000 |
| 16 | Not bringing the security card to the test | 300 |
| 17 | Abusing one's position for personal interest | 2,000 |
| 18 | Taking the individual licence outside the State | 300 per guard |
| 19 | Not taking care of the individual licence or damaging its data | 300 |
| 20 | Cash-in-transit crew not using the approved boxes | 300 per guard |
| 21 | Crew leaving a vehicle unguarded while money is inside | 500 per guard |
| 22 | Any other infringement determined by the authority | 300 |
Under Article 118, these amounts double for a repeat and reset when the licence is renewed.
Company infringements (Article 119)
Examples from the company table: not renewing an individual licence within 15 days of expiry (AED 500 per licence); not keeping required records (AED 1,000); not meeting the training requirements for a security employee (AED 1,000 per employee); not giving a training test at the end of the course (AED 1,000 per employee); employing staff at unauthorised times (AED 1,000 per employee); each missing accommodation condition (AED 1,000); and each case of denying staff their rights under the Law or order (AED 1,000).
When the criminal penalties apply
Article 117 of the order sends the most serious cases to Article 20 of the Law. These include providing an unlicensed service, a company using an unlicensed security employee, giving false information, obstructing the authority, refusing to pay fines, more than ten recorded infringements, or a single infringement fine above AED 5,000. Article 20 then provides imprisonment and/or a fine of AED 20,000 to AED 200,000, or more for unapproved services and weapons offences.
Section summary checklist
- Article 34: 9-hour day, double overtime, six-day week, one month's paid leave a year, a ticket every two years, health insurance, transport, housing.
- Free uniforms and equipment, a written contract, a written salary receipt, and paid training with 24 hours' leave before tests.
- Labour Law: 8 hours a day or 48 a week, overtime at most 2 hours a day, +25% (+50% from 10 pm to 4 am, except shift workers).
- Midday break: 15 June to 15 September, 12:30 to 3:00 pm.
- Key guard fines: sleeping AED 200; leaving post AED 500; uniform AED 500; no security card AED 200; abusing position AED 2,000. All double for repeats.
Under Article 34 of Ministerial Decision No. 557 of 2008, how must overtime beyond a security employee's working day be paid?
At the ordinary rate plus 10%, paid together with the next month's basic salary
At twice the ordinary hourly rate
As time off in lieu only, because overtime may never be paid to guards in money
At the ordinary hourly rate, because overtime is part of a guard's normal duties
During an unannounced inspection at 03:00, a guard is found asleep at the gate desk. What fine does Article 120 of Ministerial Decision No. 557 set for a first occurrence?
AED 200, doubled for a repeat
AED 5,000 and automatic cancellation of the licence
No fine on the first occasion, only a verbal warning
At least AED 20,000 under Article 20 of the Law
A security company asks a newly recruited guard to pay for his NSI course and to work without pay until he passes. Which statement reflects the executive order?
Training costs are shared equally between the guard and the client where he will be posted
The company pays the fees and two-thirds of salary, plus transport, treatment and residence
The guard must pay the training fees himself, but the company must keep paying his full salary
The company may recover the fees later from the guard's first-year end-of-service benefit
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.