DUBAI, 21st June, 2022 (WAM) -- The Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, represented by the Department of Planning and Development - Trakhees, has signed an agreement with Dubai Insurance Company, one of the leading insurance companies in the UAE, to launch a ''Workers Protection Programnme' for employees working in companies based in the special development zones.

The programme provides better protection and higher benefits compared to what was available under the previous bank guarantee system.

The agreement was signed by Abdulla Belhoul, CEO at Department of Planning and Development - Trakhees, and Abdellatif Abuqurah, CEO of Dubai Insurance Company, at Trakhees headquarters in Dubai, in the presence of directors of departments from both parties.

Belhoul stated that in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the best city in the world to live and work, Trakhees signed a strategic partnership agreement with Dubai Insurance to enhance the level, quality and efficiency of the services provided by Trakhess for employees and workers in private companies in the special development zones supervised by Trakhees, which have participated in the insurance programme, in accordance with the provisions of the UAE Labour Law.

He explained that the directions of Trakhees are in line with the UAE Cabinet's decision regarding canceling the bank guarantee and replacing it with a low-cost insurance system, as an alternative and optional system to the banking guarantee system allocated to each worker, which was to deposit a financial guarantee of AED3000 for each worker, stressing that Trakhees is keen to prioritise the interests of the workforce that business owners depend on.

'The agreement with Dubai Insurance is the latest partnership between the Department of Planning and Development - Trakhees, through which we seek to build a more competitive business process, based on innovative solutions and integrated facilities, and relies on employing its strategic partnerships to facilitate and accelerate doing business in the country as a leading incubator for investments,' Belhoul added.

Commenting on the agreement, Abdellatif Abuqurah, said, 'This agreement falls within the company's strategy to establish partnerships and conclude agreements with various government agencies and institutions operating in the UAE, to enhance the integration of efforts in advancing the process of upgrading the level of services provided to customers from individuals and institutions within the country'.

'Today, by entering into this agreement with the Department of Planning and Development - Trakhees, our partnership is complete, and we have achieved a big leap for the position of (Dubai Insurance) that provides business owners from the department’s customers with a portfolio of insurance services in accordance with the highest standards and the best practices.

'The Workers Protection Programme is based on providing better protection and improved benefits for the employees of these companies in an effort to create a work environment that ensures that they obtain all the rights they deserve as major contributors to the wheel of the national economy,' he added.

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