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Dubai: New cards offering discounts to workers launched

Dubai - As many as 55,000 labourers will get discounts in the first stage.

Creating a high-quality labour environment in Dubai is one of the key criteria for Taqdeer Awards this year.

This was reiterated by top officials who spoke to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the event on Monday.

The ceremony also saw the launch and activation of 'excellence cards' for the labour sector. The new initiative forms part of the emirate’s efforts to enhance the welfare of workers and raise benchmarks in labour practices.

More than 35 incentives are being offered by the Excellence Cards project. Extended by four government agencies — Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Municipality, and General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) — they will support and encourage companies that received high Taqdeer Award ratings to continue caring for their workers.

The project also features a wide range of incentives and discounts extended by private institutions for the workers of these companies.

“Taqdeer awards are of international standards. This year, we have 14 companies who have won the awards in different categories," said Major General Obaid Muhair bin Surour, Chairman of Taqdeer Award, Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Labour Office (PCLA) in Dubai, and Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai).

"We’ve seen a lot of improvement as compared to previous years through our Taqdeer reports, especially in the labour environment. The government is looking for quality in the labour environment. This award encourages companies and their owners to provide the best labour quality for workers,” he added.

The award further seeks to recognise the contributions of companies who received 4- and 5-star ratings in the Taqdeer Award’s fourth edition last year, as well as their workers.

“We want a very high quality of labour environment in Dubai and the UAE," he said. "This time, there have been 35 innovations from the Dubai government, DEWA, RTA, GDRFA and Dubai Municipality. This is a great achievement. Secondly, today, we announced the Taqdeer cards which are discounted cards for the labour.

The Major General noted that, in the first stage, as many as 55,000 labourers will get discounts. "They will get discounts from around 300 retail shops in and around their labour communities and accommodations in Dubai. This network of retail shops will increase in the future."

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The companies under the ambit of the government has focused immensely on the health of the workers to provide them with a safe environment and to prevent the spread of Covid-19, protecting the health and well-being of the workers, he added.

"A lot of awareness campaigns have been held. This is a key criterion this year: to provide a safe environment for the workers and focus on their health — both at the site and at the labour accommodations. This year, we distributed more than two million masks, 1 million gloves and two million meals to the labourers in Dubai. Constant inspections have also been held from time to time.”