- Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed: Taqdeer focussed on developing balanced and mutually rewarding employer-employee relationship
- Dubai has 9,854 factories, 283 companies in construction sector
- Taqdeer Award to open nominations soon
- Certified assessors to evaluate applications
Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, and the Patron of Taqdeer Award, said Taqdeer Award is fast moving toward achieving its goal of enhancing the reputation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an exemplary labour market setting benchmarks in labour welfare practices, which will also benefit the nation’s economy.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan expressed his appreciation for the success of the award in its first cycle, which witnessed a strong response from companies keen on participating as well as attracted attention from outside the UAE.
He said Taqdeer Award is an initiative in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, towards making Dubai a city of the future, as reflected in the recent major initiatives including the Dubai 10X.
His Highness praised the efforts of the award teams and urged them to continue working toward achieving more success in the second edition, especially as the award has been expanded to include companies and factories operating in free zones, in addition to the construction companies in Dubai.
His Highness the Crown Prince of Dubai also directed all organisations and companies to provide full support to the award and participate in this in this initiative and show their keenness toward the welfare and care of their workers.
Taqdeer Award is a part of Dubai’s initiatives toward excellence and ensuring the happiness and welfare of the people of Dubai regardless of religion or nationality and realise Dubai’s vision of becoming one of the world’s best places to work and live.
Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Suroor, Deputy Director General, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai and Chairman of Taqdeer Award, expressed gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his patronage and support for the award. “This valuable support has strengthened the position of the award to reach greater heights. The award has also received a lot of interest from international organisations who are keen on implementing the award in their countries,” he said.
Addressing a press conference to announce the launch of Taqdeer Award’s second cycle, Obaid said: “In its second cycle, we expect the award to be even more successful on the road to enhancing the UAE’s reputation on the regional and international arenas in the field of workers’ care.”
“The award will ensure the workers’ rights are protected in accordance with international conventions and according to the standards adopted at the local and international levels.”
Obaid appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) towards providing a safe and motivating work environment for workers and working continuously to developing legislative and legal frameworks that safeguard the rights of workers and provide them a decent way of life.
Thanking His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, for his support to the Taqdeer Award, Dr. Mohammed Al Zarouni, Director General, Dubai Airports Free Zone (Dafza), said “The patronage by His Highness reflects the wise leadership of UAE on the well-being of the workforce and the preservation of their human and labor rights, valuing their tireless efforts and their ambitious role in building the future. The Dubai Free Zone authorities pay particular attention to the practices of foreign companies against their labour workforce by encouraging them to follow the highest standards of safety and security to ensure the protection of workers’ rights and wellbeing.”
Dr Al Zarooni added: “The opportunity for free zone companies to participate in the Taqdeer Award is an encouraging boost for them to compete in providing maximum care and the high welfare of their labour workforce, and to appreciate those who have the best world-class practices in safeguarding labour rights. According to recent statistics from the Dubai Statistics Center, there are more than 338,000 workers in 34,000 companies in the free zones in the Emirate of Dubai which makes the competition very interesting to witness. The award positively translates and emphasises the need to comply with the directives of UAE and Dubai’s wise leadership in offering the necessary means to ensure the happiness, satisfaction, and wellbeing of all people, including workers.”
Scope of the award
In its first cycle, the award focussed on construction companies and included over 280 companies employing more than half a million workers.
Due to the success of the award and the high demand, the award has been extended companies working in the free zone ahead of the initial target of including these companies in 2019.
In the second cycle, the award includes factories, companies in construction which employ more than 100 workers each.
According to the Dubai Statistics Centre, there are over 9,854 factories operating in Dubai in different categories. Dubai has over 283 companies and more than 500,000 workers in construction sector.
Taqdeer Award will open nominations soon and a team of certified experts and evaluators will evaluate the applications and select the best companies and factories that provide the best working and living conditions for their employees according to the award criteria. In addition to the selection of outstanding workers, engineers and supervisors will also be awarded.
Launched under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, Taqdeer Award is the world’s first points-based award programme for recognizing excellence in labour welfare practices and seeks to promote international best practices in labour welfare and will also be instrumental in raising awareness among workers about their rights.
The companies can participate in the Award by submitting a comprehensive submission document, which will be thoroughly evaluated by a Judging Committee. The companies will be awarded the ratings from one star to five stars.
Winners of 5 and 4-star ratings will receive a certificate, enjoy priority in government projects, and will be honoured at an award ceremony to be held next year. These top ratings will give companies a competitive advantage in bidding for international contracts.
