Dubai’s Majid Al Futtaim sets policy on construction workers’ rights
Policy makes commitments on timely pay, annual leave and accommodation
The Dubai retail giant Majid Al Futtaim has outlined details of a labour policy for construction workers on its projects, while announcing its sustainability results for 2014.
Majid Al Futtaim Properties managed to successfully implement the policy, which sets out commitments “to safeguard worker rights across its developments, including timely pay, annual leave and labour accommodation,” the company said in a statement.
As part of goals set for 2015, the company will aim to include labour standard policy requirements into all contracts with direct suppliers.
The firm’s construction sites did not have any fatalities in 2014, while overall accident frequency rates among direct employees and contractors plunged 77% in the UAE and Oman, and 31% in the Levant and North Africa.
The developer – which is behind projects like Deira City Centre and Mall of the Emirates – also managed to achieve 73% of its sustainability goals for last year, which included $1.8 million (AED7.3m) in community investments, it said.
The company’s ‘Green Star’ rating system, based on LEED, BREEAM and ESTIDAMA standards, sets sustainability design criteria for shop fit-outs and is now a mandatory requirement of all lease renewals. The rating measures sustainability performance, from energy reduction to the quality of a tenant’s sustainability policies.
Majid Al Futtaim Properties has also increased green building certifications to seven buildings, reduced water consumption at its malls by 16%, and launched a programme to ensure that all of its future developments are LEED Gold certified or equivalent.
The company also aims to achieve a 25% recycling rate across all operational malls, it said.
