Labour camp wins Dubai government award
Leading facilities management company Farnek Avireal cleans-up at Dubai Municipality awards ceremony for labour camp environmental initiative
Farnek Avireal one of the leading facilities management companies in the UAE has been recognised by Dubai Municipality (DM) for its environmental initiatives during the Municipality’s ‘Clean up the world’ campaign.
Due to the fact that Farnek Avireal has a clean, hygienic and orderly site, more than 50 residents at Farnek Avireal’s labour camp in Jebel Ali Industrial area turned out to help collect waste and rubbish from the surrounding areas to their labour camp.
The award was presented to Farnek Avireal at the DM awards ceremony which was held in Dubai last week. Markus Oberlin, General Manager of Farnek Avireal Middle East, commented, “It is very satisfying to receive this award, news about labour camps is quite often negative. But as facilities management professionals we have to lead by example, by consistently improving the living conditions for our staff. From experience we have found that this promotes team spirit and a highly motivated workforce.”
The Farnek Avireal camp which houses over 900 staff from a dozen different countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ethiopia and Nepal, exceeds all Dubai Municipality regulations and guidelines.
“It is a cliché just to say that staff are a company’s most important asset, but we clearly demonstrate it,” said Ilulia Stanescu, Welfare Manager at Fanek Avireal. “We maintain some of the best living standards in the Middle East for our workers.
If you provide your staff with clean and hygienic living conditions they will take a pride in their own appearance, their rooms, as well as their surroundings,” added Stanescu.
According to Oberlin, education is also a key factor, especially when explaining about local culture and local laws. “Often workers are not aware of simple personal hygiene standards that the rest of us take for granted. By teaching them about acceptable hygiene and social standards, helps them integrate better without feeling ostracized, which is very good for morale and social order.”
As one would expect from a labour camp operated by a leading facilities management company, The Farnek Avireal camp comes complete with water saving devices in the bathrooms and energy saving modules are being installed later this year.
Farnek Avireal is also instrumental in another Dubai government environmental initiative. The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in conjunction with Dubai Municipality is spearheading a carbon reduction scheme, aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of Dubai’s hotels and actively promoting sustainable tourism.
