Fourth Edition Of Taqdeer Award To Recognise 91 Workers And Companies

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 24th Jan, 2021) DUBAI, 24th January 2021 (WAM) - The judging committee of the fourth edition of the Taqdeer Award today announced that 91 workers and companies have been selected as winners across five categories of the Award.

The committee held a virtual meeting to approve the list of winners following the completion of a smart evaluation processes conducted by more than 120 highly qualified and experienced assessors.

Organised under the patronage of Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Taqdeer Award recognises Dubai firms that implement global best practices in labour rights protection.

The Award programme also seeks to recognise the contribution of workers to Dubai’s growth and economic success.

The members of the judging committee who took part in the virtual meeting included: Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai and Chairman of the Taqdeer Award Judging Committee; Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police; Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA; Dawood Al-Hajiri, Director General of Dubai Municipality; Major General Mohamed Ahmed Al-Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA); Major General Obaid bin Suroor, Chairman of the Taqdeer Award; Ahmed Julfar, Director General of the Dubai Community Development Authority (CDA); Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation & Dubai South; Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General of the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA); Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Member of the board of Directors at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); Mohammed Al Mutaiwei, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Communications and Community Affairs; Colonel Abdul Samad Al Balushi, Advisor and Head of the Taqdeer Award’s Team of Assessors; and Major Khaled Ismail, Secretary-General of the Award.

A total of 77 workers and companies will be awarded 3 to 5-star ratings at a gala ceremony to be held later in the year. Winners of 1 to 2-star ratings, which include 14 workers and companies, will receive Certificates of Appreciation as part of the Award’s objective of encouraging companies and workers to strive for higher ratings in future editions.

Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim said the Award is a major initiative that supports Dubai’s journey of excellence and its vision to become the world’s best city to live, work and invest in. The Award contributes to strengthening employer-employee relations and protecting the rights and interests of both parties, he noted.

He expressed his gratitude to H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council and Patron of Taqdeer Award, for the unwavering support he has extended to the pioneering initiative. He also thanked Major General Obaid bin Suroor, Chairman of the Taqdeer Award and programme team members.

Speaking about the achievements of the Award, said: "Since its inception in 2016, the Award has achieved important milestones on many levels and has had a positive impact on the business community and employees. It has generated a very encouraging response from the targeted companies. The Judging Committee had the honour of reviewing the exceptional efforts of the assessment team, which followed the highest standards of transparency and integrity during the evaluation process.

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The Award assumes particular significance at a time when labour-intensive companies and sectors across Dubai have faced significant challenges in managing the repercussions of COVID-19. In yet another example of an exemplary partnership between public and private sectors, Dubai’s frontline organisations worked with companies in labour-intensive sectors to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of blue-collar workers and effectively manage the impact of the pandemic on the workforce.

Major achievements The virtual meeting of the judging committee began with a message from Major General Obaid bin Suroor welcoming the members of the committee and thanking them for their invaluable efforts and guidance. He gave a presentation highlighting the key achievements of the Award’s fourth edition.

"We are proud of the success of the Award’s fourth edition in fostering better relations between companies and their workers and raising awareness about the importance of excellence and leadership in business performance."

Since its inception, the Award has been able to instill its vision, standards, goals and objectives among its targeted sectors that include labour-intensive industries - construction and electromechanical, free-zones, manufacturing and professional services - through direct communication, meetings, training and awareness sessions, and various engagements through media outlets and its website. Companies with more than 100 workers that have met specific conditions and criteria are eligible to participate in the Award.

67 per cent growth in companies eligible to contest for the Award In his presentation, Major General Obaid bin Suroor said Taqdeer Award said that despite being a voluntary initiative, the Award has seen continuous growth in the number of participants. Companies submitting applications to participate in the Award’s fourth edition increased to more than 3,000. Out of this, 125 companies qualified for the final evaluation based on the approved conditions and criteria set by the Award, an increase of 67 per cent compared to the third edition.

"The feedback from companies that were unable to complete the competition journey is very promising. They plan to initiate the improvements, development and modernisation processes required to qualify for the competition in the next edition. One of the main objectives of the Award is to spread awareness of its standards and goals among companies," he said.

120 assessors from 16 nationalities Colonel Abdul Samad Al Balushi briefed the judging committee about the smart evaluation processes carried out by more than 120 highly-qualified assessors from 16 nationalities. They were tasked with sorting and evaluating the submissions by the companies seeking to win star ratings based on the criteria of the smart evaluation process. Following the presentation, members of the committee responded to queries and approved the results of the evaluation and the list of winning workers and companies for submission to the Award Patron Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Winners to be announced at award ceremony Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Taqdeer Award management will announce the Names of the winning companies and workers at a gala award ceremony to be held later in the year. The event will be attended by senior officials, businessmen and diplomatic officials from the UAE and across the world.