Best labour welfare practices honoured at Taqdeer Awards

Sheikh Mansour presents the Taqdeer 5 Stars Category Award to Carrefour. - KT photo by Dhes Handumon

Dubai - The winners were chosen from 200 companies of different sectors in Dubai

In a bid to promote excellence in labour welfare practices, Taqdeer Awards honoured 24 companies on Tuesday for safeguarding workplace labour rights.
Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, rewarded companies and 39 top-performing workers and supervisors, during the second cycle of the award. The awards aim to improve the living standards of labourers and recognise employee performance.
The companies were honoured for their overall treatment of workers, including their labour policies, infrastructure, open-door policies, accommodation, health and safety, labour security, innovation drives, recruitment and wages. An outst-anding worker, engineer and sup-ervisor from each company were also given a cash prize. The 5 and 4-star winners will now enjoy priority in government projects, giving them an advantage while bidding for international contracts.
Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, chairman of the Taqdeer Awards, said it moves beyond just recognition into encouraging companies to achieve better labour welfare. This year's award covered one million workers, up from 500,000 last year, after opening up participation for companies and factories in freezones. "There's a company that received 4 stars last year. This year, managers of that same company worked so hard until they achieved 5 stars," said bin Suroor.
The winners were chosen from 200 companies of different sectors in Dubai. A team of certified experts paid repeated visits to the companies, evaluated applications and submitted them to an independent judging panel which selected the best companies and factories providing the best working and living conditions for employees.
Bin Suroor said the award aims to increase productivity and improve employer-employee relationships needed for a stronger economy. Launched in 2016, the first cycle of the award focused on 280 construction companies. This year, the award was open to over 34,000 freezone companies, over 9,000 factories and 283 companies.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

5-star winners