Etisalat rewards construction workers on May Day

Our Correspondent

UAE telecom major Etisalat has gifted over a dozen construction workers with Dh25,000 each to fund their children’s higher education. The gesture marked International Workers’ Day or Labour Day, on May 1. It took them by surprise.

More than two million migrant workers, majority of them from South Asian and African countries, work in the UAE construction sector.

Fifteen workers from different camps were selected by Etisalat to piece together a massive tile structure with a hidden message. As the puzzle pieces came together, the workers were surprised with the scholarship.

A message on a screen said: “You’ve built today, so let us build your child’s tomorrow. So, as you can see in the tile structure you’ve just created, we want to help you play an important part in your future. In particular, your children’s future. Etisalat is giving a Dh25,000 scholarship towards your children’s higher education.”

Abdul Latif Awan, 65, from Rawalpindi in Pakistan, was one of the beneficiaries. Awan said he had given 38 years of his life in the country, and this reward has come as a big parting gift.

Thirty-four year old Shaikh Riyazuddin from India, who has an adopted daughter, was another beneficiary. He has been living in the UAE since 2018.

Mohammed Firoj Ma, a Bangladeshi worker who moved to Dubai in 2004, was grateful for the gift that will help build a brighter future for his two children.