Worker Welfare
As a blue-print for people-centric, sustainable urban development, Expo City Dubai considers the health, safety, welfare and dignity of all workers to be paramount. Our commitment to worker welfare builds on the efforts of Expo 2020 Dubai, which set new benchmarks for the region and drove a marked shift in behaviour. This includes the adoption of a number of Expo 2020’s standards by Dubai Municipality.
We are committed to continuing to work with authorities at both a local and federal level, as well as external specialists, third party auditors and internationally recognised regulatory bodies, including the British Safety Council, to ensure we are always striving for global best practice. We require everyone working with us, including contractors, subcontractors and third parties, to share our commitment, and our standards are bound into every Expo City Dubai contract. Our Worker Welfare Policy is also applicable to every organisation working with us.
The 10 principles of our Worker Welfare Policy states that all employers must:
- Ensure fair and free recruitment
- Ensure that employees understand the terms and conditions of their employment
- Treat employees equally and without discrimination
- Protect and preserve the dignity of employees and not tolerate harassment or abuse of any kind
- Respect the right of employees to retain their personal documents
- Pay employees’ wages and benefits on time and in full
- Allow employees freedom to exercise their legal rights without fear of reprisal
- Provide a safe and healthy working environment
- Provide access to grievance mechanisms and remediation
- Ensure that bonded, indentured, forced, or child labour is not used
‘Better Together’, our positive, values-driven approach to worker welfare is founded on six key pillars: Leadership, Communication, Competency, Engagement, Reward & Recognition, and Continual Improvement. In particular, organisations are required to demonstrate effective leadership on worker welfare and allocate sufficient resources to ensure that employment conditions throughout their supply chain meet our stringent requirements.
We also hold regular forums and training sessions to support adoption and continual improvement, and monitor implementation through frequent inspections of the working and living conditions of those helping to build and operate Expo City Dubai.
The Worker Connect app, available in multiple languages, also enables workers to read the latest information on their employment rights and anonymously report any concerns or issues.
Ultimately, as the legacy site of an exceptional World Expo, we believe that Expo City Dubai has both the opportunity and responsibility to continue to raise standards and provide organisations and individuals with the skills and knowledge required to expect and implement best practice, now and on future projects.