5th Taqdeer Award honours 94 blue-collar workers in Dubai with cash, discount cards and more

Dubai: Dubai’s Taqdeer Award on Tuesday honoured 94 distinguished workers with mementos, cash, discount cards among other benefits in recognition of their hard work, exceptional performance and commitment to enforcing the country’s laws and their company’s rules and standards.

Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) honoured them and 39 companies along with Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Suroor, deputy director-general of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) and chairman of the Taqdeer Award.

“The Taqdeer Award plays a vital role in raising awareness among companies and employees about labour market legislations, as well as the rights and responsibilities of all parties,” said the minister.

“The ministry always supports such initiatives that aim to enhance the attractiveness of the UAE’s business environment and labour market to both local and international talent,” he added.

Bin Suroor, who presented the keynote speech, said the Taqdeer Award under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, has benefited 162,000 workers in its fifth cycle.

He said it is a major initiative aimed at transforming labour welfare in the emirate and instilling high standards of worker well-being.

The Award has received global acclaim for motivating companies and workers in Dubai to raise worker welfare standards, productivity, job loyalty, and quality and speed of project implementation, he said.

Speaking to Gulf News later, the award is also a token of the “government’s appreciation to thank the workers who have been building the country with us.”

Educational support among benefits

The winning companies and their workers get many benefits from the government departments. For the workers, Bin Suroor said there are discount cards, flight tickets which they can use at any time among the benefits.

Taqdeer has signed partnerships with national universities and hospitals to support exceptional workers and their children.

He said the workers can make use of the Taqdeer Blue Card for travel, at various retail outlets and hospitals. “They also get benefits for their families. They can get discounts for school and university education for their children.”

Improvement among companies

Bin Suroor said the award criteria and the report analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the companies have helped improve the ratings of several companies and the number of 5 star companies doubled from last cycle.

“The Award has motivated companies to develop policies in line with the Award’s standards, create innovation departments; launch programmes and services that adopt the recommendations of the Award’s assessors, create an open-door policy for workers and introduce systems to identify worker satisfaction levels.”

This year, entries reached around 5,000, of which 360 qualified for the final stages and 93 became the winners. Only those who got 3,4 and 5 stars were honoured at the ceremony.

The Award, held every two years, is open to companies with more than 50 workers. The programme evaluates submissions and scores them on a 1,000 points grading scale. A company must score 700 points or more to obtain a 5-star rating, while companies that score 550 points will get a 4-star rating. Companies that score 450 points will be given a 3-star rating, and companies that score 300 points will be given a 2-star rating. Companies that score 200 points or less on the evaluation index will receive a 1-star rating.

Five and four-star rated companies are awarded certificates of appreciation and given priority in contracts for government projects. The recognition also raises their global profile, opening up new international opportunities for them.

The winners

A total of 36 companies won 3-to-5-star ratings:

5 star rated companies: IMDAAD (LLC), Airbus Africa and Middle East FZE, Kimoha Entrepreneurs FZCO, Al Sahel Contracting Co. (LLC), Petronash FZE, Al Futtaim Engineering (LLC), China State Construction Engineering Corporation (Middle East) LLC, Mai Dubai LLC.

4 star rated companies: Crown Emirates Company Ltd., DULSCO (LLC), SD (Middle East) LLC, Tristar Transport LLC, Americana, Juton UAE Ltd. (LLC), Danway Electrical & Mechanical Engineering LLC, Robert Bosch Middle East FZE, TenCate Thiolon Middle East LLC, EFS Facilities Management Services LLC and Eros Group

3 star rated companies: World Security FZE, Hard Precast Building Systems LLC, Nestle Middle East Manufacturing LLC, Gulf Catering Company for General Trade and Contracting WLL DMCC, Union Coop, Aroma International Building and Contracting (LLC), ServeU LLC, Al Najma Al Fareeda International Building Maintenance LLC, RAQ Contracting, Electra Exhibitions FZ LLC, Gulf Precast Concrete LLC, Smart Gulf Solar Energy Systems LLC, ENOC Retail LLC, Creating Homes Interiors and Contracting LLC, Desert Landscape Co. LLC, ASG Construction LLC, TK Elevator UAE LLC.

“I Found Myself” documentary

The gala award ceremony also saw the launch of ‘I Found Myself’ initiative, the first in a series of documentary films that highlight the achievements of workers, and the opportunities Dubai has given them to grow into senior positions.

The first to be featured this time was Prashant Poojary, an employee of Emrill Services, a facilities management company.

Representing the thousands of blue-collar workers, the 44-year-old Indian worker said he was ever grateful to Dubai for helping him dream and supporting him in his darkest times.

The documentary on Poojary depicted his life, beginning with the struggles back home as he had to work for his family from childhood itself. “Provide my father with his medicines and buy a small washing machine that would help my mother a bit in her daily tiring work. These were my ultimate dreams,” according to Poojary’s narration in the film.

However, his boss for whom he worked for five years threw him out for asking for more help to meet his father’s treatment. Poojary then decided to make Dubai, the land of dreams, his next destination.

“For the first time in my life, I felt as an individual whose efforts are appreciated and recognised, a human being who deserves to live in dignity just like everyone else, regardless of the social status or nationality.”

He sent his first salary to his parents and also managed to buy a big washing machine for his mother. However, he hit another wall when he developed high fever and collapsed due to an illness unnamed in the film.

Heaven of dreamers

“I was sure that my employer would throw me out just as my first employer did. Contrary to my expectations, Rashid Hospital, Emaar and the company that I work for — they all embraced me and became my support and my home. They even gave me the option to go back to my home country or stay in Dubai. I decided to stay in Dubai, the heaven of the poor and the dreamers — the country that embraced me and endowed me with all the rights that a worker as well as a human being deserves. And then I was cured. After all, Dubai isn’t just a land of dreams. It’s the home where human rights become a reality even for the workers,” his narration added.

In his speech that he read out on the stage later, Poojary thanked Taqdeer for the award. “I want to express my thanks and gratitude to everyone who was part of my journey. I would not be where I am today without the support received from my family and friends, the UAE Government and my company. 17 years ago, I came to Dubai to build a better life. Dubai offered me countless opportunities for personal and professional growth. People who may not have the same prospect in their own country, what I learned from my experience is that no matter how hard lives turn, you must never lose your hope. Even in those darkest times, you will find your light and my light was the support and love I received through my journey.”