Dubai-based Plan B wants a new term for ‘blue-collar worker’

A Dubai-based group has launched an initiative to try and eliminate the use of the term ‘blue-collar workers’ to refer to those working in the manual labour jobs.

Dubbed BeyondBlue, the project was conceptualised by Dr. Harmeek Singh, founder and Chairman of Plan B; and Alok Gadkar, Managing Director and Executive Creative Director at Partnership Advertising to highlight the issue and mobilise support from key stakeholders. It launched with a special charity runway show at the recent Vie Fashion Week in Dubai.

Singh and Gadkar are calling for support from people to use ‘industrial workers’ or ‘skilled workers’ when referring to those who are working in this sector. “We have been working with the industrial workers sector for many years now through our Box of Hope project,” said Singh.

Gadkar hopes the initiative will get people onboard to veer away from a discriminatory term associated with colour. “Doing an honest day’s work, as many of our industrial workers do on a regular basis, cannot be defined by the colour of their collars. In fact, as many of them are part in building and making many businesses work, eliminating this colour-based identity gives their profession a semblance of pride.”