Qatar’s unique ALHAZM Project has held a two-day appreciation ceremony inrecognition of the efforts of the workers as well as the employees.
Who were instrumental in the construction of the “magnificent venue of grand proportions and noble design” that is unrivalled in the region. The two-day ceremony held at the project site honoured about 500 labourers and 300 employees. The programme aimed to strengthen communication and interaction between ALHAZM employees, workers and labourers, and to affirm the private sector’s efforts in achieving a balance between workers, employees and business owners in a way that preserves their rights and interests. Mohamed Abdul Karim al-Emadi, CEO of ALHAZM, stated that protecting and respecting labourers’ rights was always a priority. “We were always keen on showing gratitude towards our workers and employees, and our intention was to always make them feel included and that clearly was reflected in their attitude, and that to us was always the end goal.” Al-Emadi pointed out that there were a number of messages that were meant to be conveyed through holding the appreciation ceremony; one of them was to point out the key role the labourers and employees played in the construction of ALHAZM to the highest international standards, which was a long process that was 8 years in the making. Al-Emadi took the time to thank and show appreciation to each and every employee and labourer individually at the ceremony, and assured them that they were the main pillars of the urban renaissance that was currently underway in Qatar. The second message communicated at the ceremony was that Qatar’s private sector was constantly keeping pace with the government’s efforts to protect labourers’ rights. In this regard, al-Emadi explained: “The government makes the highest efforts at the legislative or institutional level to create the appropriate work environment for all labourers and employees, and to ensure that their dignity, health, security and stability are protected, and that stems from our values and principles that are derived from the teachings of our Islamic religion, as well as the Constitution of our country.” Al-Emadi pointed out that Qatar had made tangible progress towards the protection of labourers’ rights, and that was in part due to the general knowledge of the essential and fundamental role the labourers played in the overall development of the country and not as a result of any external pressure. “It was very important for us to communicate a very crucial message to the outside world, letting them know that the protection of workers’ rights and human rights in general comes on top of priorities in all government and private sector projects.” The CEO of ALHAZM Project announced that a soft opening of ALHAZM will be held while the official launch will take place later this year. “We will evaluate the reactions from the public as well as the tenants who will start work on the project next month,” said al-Emadi, adding that the official launch would be of the highest standards. “The project will evoke classic European luxury and was inspired by the ancient Italian shopping corridors. The ALHAZM project is of great importance to us and we consider it to be our best, most important project yet. To me this is not just a passion project. I dedicate this project to the State of Qatar, and to all those who reside in this great country. Through this project we wanted to prove to the world that the State of Qatar was not only capable of being a key player in the oil and gas market, but also a centre of excellence that was able to undertake major projects of an international scale.”
