diff --git a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/RATaskSpecifiedService/lib/RATaskSpecified.py b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/RATaskSpecifiedService/lib/RATaskSpecified.py
index 4847a364f2d9dbc2d2a300c4c0b1338925df8f17..3c61fedb012c0405692429559c5bc05bb7e26d3d 100755
--- a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/RATaskSpecifiedService/lib/RATaskSpecified.py
+++ b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/RATaskSpecifiedService/lib/RATaskSpecified.py
@@ -298,6 +298,10 @@ class RATaskSpecified(OTDBBusListener):
         logger.info("Result sent")
 
 def main():
+    # make sure we run in UTC timezone
+    import os
+    os.environ['TZ'] = 'UTC'
+
     import logging
     import sys
     from optparse import OptionParser
diff --git a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssigner/lib/raservice.py b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssigner/lib/raservice.py
index 775d484b03e631d9eaab18b680353d8f88056aa5..0fd5d28fe2ed996f5d6e0b1706b8db2585625bc0 100755
--- a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssigner/lib/raservice.py
+++ b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssigner/lib/raservice.py
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ class SpecifiedTaskListener(RATaskSpecifiedBusListener):
 __all__ = ["SpecifiedTaskListener"]
 
 def main():
+    # make sure we run in UTC timezone
+    import os
+    os.environ['TZ'] = 'UTC'
+
     from optparse import OptionParser
     from lofar.messaging import setQpidLogLevel
     from lofar.common.util import waitForInterrupt
diff --git a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentEstimator/service.py b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentEstimator/service.py
index fd1f1fd6e658de836f101d852e6b3403d9ce172b..a0f720bb3484f288e893050807e46f3b2f7eb651 100644
--- a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentEstimator/service.py
+++ b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentEstimator/service.py
@@ -124,6 +124,10 @@ def createService(busname=DEFAULT_BUSNAME, servicename=DEFAULT_SERVICENAME, brok
                    verbose=True)
 
 def main():
+    # make sure we run in UTC timezone
+    import os
+    os.environ['TZ'] = 'UTC'
+
     from optparse import OptionParser
     from lofar.messaging import setQpidLogLevel
     from lofar.common.util import waitForInterrupt
diff --git a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentService/service.py b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentService/service.py
index 25b8cbd8ba29f54b958d355d3ebf6ffa5acb2d03..b205c500b869ccb74ff4e47645c0a5608964203b 100644
--- a/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentService/service.py
+++ b/SAS/ResourceAssignment/ResourceAssignmentService/service.py
@@ -325,6 +325,10 @@ def createService(busname=DEFAULT_BUSNAME, servicename=DEFAULT_SERVICENAME, brok
                    verbose=verbose)
 
 def main():
+    # make sure we run in UTC timezone
+    import os
+    os.environ['TZ'] = 'UTC'
+
     # Check the invocation arguments
     parser = OptionParser("%prog [options]",
                           description='runs the resourceassignment database service')