UAE: EmiratesGBC, HSBC, Multiplex & Equidem co-ordinate on labour rights programme to promote best practice in construction
"EmiratesGBC, HSBC ME roll out worker welfare programme," 15 July 2021
The Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum promoting sustainability and green buildings, has partnered with HSBC Middle East to launch a ‘responsible labour practices’ capacity building programme to promote socially responsible worker welfare practices and strengthen the financial capability of workers.
Organised in association with training partner Equidem and knowledge partner Multiplex, the programme will help the sector continue its efforts towards worker welfare in line with the UAE’s local labour laws, the ILO Conventions ratified by the UAE, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), said the statement from EmiratesGBC.
This programme comes at a time when companies worldwide are grappling with economic difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic and are doing their best to ensure workers are treated ethically, prioritising critical items like health and safety, wellbeing, wages, job security, and fair payment practices, it stated.
Social equity throughout the built environment life cycle is central to the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient cities. Multiplex has been on a journey for the last five years in the UAE to develop systems and processes to tackle labour exploitation and promote dignity, wellbeing and human rights, working directly with our supply chain to create a better environment for workers in line with the Building Responsibly Principles.Jessica Verdon, Senior Sustainability Manager at Multiplex