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.