Abu Dhabi: A laundry chain in Abu Dhabi has set a rare example in employee welfare by taking care of the family of one of its deceased employees for life.
Salem Mattar, general manager of the Reeves Group that owns the Jeeves Laundry, said he was taking full responsibility of the family of Cheruchi Najeeb, 55, after he died of a heart attack on July 29, 2015. Najeeb is survived by his wife Ayesha, 34, and four children, all of whom live in Kerala.
The Palestinian employer said Najeeb, who hailed from Kerala, India, had put in almost 30 years of service at Jeeves. While his elder two daughters were married, his son Nabeel was studying in Grade 12 and youngest daughter Niya in Grade one in a Kerala school.
Job offer
“The company will take care of the family for life. We are paying for his children’s school education, and I have offered a job to his son when he finishes his higher education,” said Mattar.
Najeeb, who joined Jeeves in 1998 as a cashier, later served as the supervisor in charge of all its 13 branches in the UAE.
Najeeb is said to have gone on a vacation to India for a few weeks last summer and was set to come back when he suffered a heart attack, his second in a few months. Mattar said, “Najeeb was a very dedicated worker and spent a lifetime working for our company. Now, it is our responsibility to honour him by taking care of his family.”
Lest anyone forgets Najeeb’s contributions to the company, Mattar has also kept a framed picture of the former supervisor at the laundry’s branch in Khalidiya. Employees say it is a tribute to his hard work and unflinching loyalty, “He was the face of the company. Our customers came to us because they trusted Najeeb,” said Mattar.
Najeeb’s wife Ayesha told XPRESS over the phone from Kerala that her husband’s sudden death was a big shock and financial blow to the family.
“The monthly allowance I get from the company is helping me support my children. I am very thankful for their generosity even after my husband is gone,” said the housewife.
