The Sharjah Labour Standards Development Authority(SLSDA) has announced the establishment of a commercial centre and Labour Recreational Park fully dedicated to the blue-collar workers in the emirate, a media report said.

The park and the commercial centre to be built in Sharjah's Al Sajaa Industrial Area will be the first of its kind in the UAE and both the facilities will provide all the entertainment activities they need, especially on weekends and public holidays, reported Emirates new agency Wam.

The idea of the Labour Recreational Park comes within the framework of the efforts of the Sharjah Labour Standards Development Authority to improve the working environment at the emirate level, as well as provide all public, recreational and health services needed by the workers.

Therefore, the project will provide a recreational space for workers without having to leave their residential areas. The authority started working on this project in cooperation with a number of government agencies and private institutions to ensure that its design is up to the highest engineering standards, as the project’s total area is more than 200,000 sq ft.

Salem Yousef Al Qaseer, chairman of the SLSDA, said: "In response to the directives of Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who has emphasised the need to take care of human beings as the real wealth we possess, we came up with the idea of developing this project to include facilities and complexes for labourers in their areas of residence, in order to provide their necessary needs, which is one of the most important objectives of the authority. This is done in cooperation and coordination with the competent government agencies in the emirate."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, director general of the SLDSA, said that the commercial centre and the Labour Recreational Park are among the most important projects being developed in the Emirate of Sharjah.

Al Qasimi said: "Building a commercial centre and labour park is a very constructive step and important idea that reflects the cultural face of Sharjah, especially as the centre will comprise a wide range of 88 shops, along with a large hypermarket of more than 10,000 sq ft, which will provide all the necessary stuff needed by workers. In addition, the centre will also include a hospital with a total area of 7,700 sq ft, along with a number of offices and private parking areas."

Al Qasimi pointed out that the commercial centre will also include three cinema halls, which will accommodate about 1,172 persons, indicating that the total area of the commercial centre project is 177,000 sq ft.

He added: "With regard to the public park, it will be equipped with a range of public services that we expect the workers need such as green areas, barbecue spaces, an open theatre, cricket grounds and other basketball and volleyball courts, which will provide park visitors with the possibility of enjoying the sport they want. This aims at improving the level of workers culturally and intellectually in addition to keeping them healthy."