Taqdeer Award is fast moving toward achieving its goal of enhancing the reputation of the UAE as an exemplary labour market setting benchmarks in labour welfare practices, which will also benefit the nation’s economy, said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai and chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, and the patron of Taqdeer Award.

Taqdeer Award is the world’s first points-based reward system recognising excellence in labour welfare practices.

Sheikh Hamdan expressed his appreciation for the success of the award in its first cycle, which witnessed strong participation from construction companies companies in the UAE and also grabbed regional attention.

"Taqdeer Award is an initiative in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, towards making Dubai a city of the future, as reflected in the recent major initiatives including the Dubai 10X," he noted.

Lauding the efforts of the award teams, Sheikh Hamdan urged them to continue working towards achieving more success in the second edition, especially as the award had been expanded to include companies and factories operating in free zones, in addition to the construction companies in Dubai.

Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Suroor, the deputy director general of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai and chairman of Taqdeer Award, said: "In its second cycle, we expect the award to be even more successful on the road to enhancing the UAE's reputation on the regional and international arenas in the field of workers’ care."

"The award will ensure the workers’ rights are protected in accordance with international conventions and according to the standards adopted at the local and international levels," he added.

Dr Mohammed Al Zarouni, the director general, Dubai Airports Free Zone (Dafza), said: "The royal patronage for the awards reflects the wise leadership of the UAE for the well-being of the workforce and the preservation of their human and labour rights, valuing their tireless efforts and their role in building the future."

"Dafza authorities pay particular attention to the practices of foreign companies against their labour workforce by encouraging them to follow the highest standards of safety and security to ensure the protection of workers' rights and wellbeing," he noted.

Dr Al Zarooni pointed out that the opportunity for free zone companies to participate in the Taqdeer Award is an encouraging boost for them to compete in providing maximum care and the high welfare of their labour workforce.

As per recent data from Dubai Statistics Centre, there are more than 338,000 workers in 34,000 companies in the free zones in Dubai which makes the competition very interesting to witness.

In its first cycle, the award focused on construction companies and included over 280 companies employing more than half a million workers.

Due to the success of the award and the high demand, the award has been extended to companies working in the free zone ahead of the initial target of including these companies in 2019.

In the second cycle, the award includes factories, companies in construction which employ more than 100 workers each.

According to the Dubai Statistics Centre, there are over 9,854 factories operating in Dubai in different categories. Dubai has over 283 companies and more than 500,000 workers in the construction sector.

Taqdeer Award will open nominations soon and a team of certified experts and evaluators will evaluate the applications and select the best companies and factories that provide the best working and living conditions for their employees according to the award criteria.

In addition to the selection of outstanding workers, engineers and supervisors will also be awarded.

The winning companies will be awarded the ratings from one-star to five-star. The winners of five and four-star ratings will receive a certificate, enjoy priority in government projects, and will be honoured at an award ceremony to be held next year.-TradeArabia News Service