Five people and the Armed Forces of Malta's helicopter rescue team were rewarded for their efforts during the 2014 edition of the national Worker of the Year awards.

The awards were presented during an evening event which took place earlier this week.

The main prize - that of Worker of the Year - was awarded to Dorothy Degabriele, who is the officer in charge of three day centres for the elderly - those in Mtarfa, Siġġiewi and Dingli, and who was nominated by a group of people who make use of the centre. A medical physicist at the Paul Boffa Hospital, Martin Pirotta, won the title of employee of the year.

The events coordinator of the Rural Festivities Unit, Mario Camilleri, was named role model of the year, while Le Meridien Hotel guest experience manager Gilbert Xuereb was named manager of the year. Hotelier Winston J Zahra was named employer of the year.

The AFM helicopter rescue team was named team of the year for its efforts in search and rescue efforts.

The Department of Information did not provide photos of the winners of the awards.

During the event, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat emphasised that workers were the country's most important resource, and said that the government's greatest challenge in the field of employment next year was the integration of people with disabilities in the workplace. A second challenge, he added, was increasing the number of women in the workforce.

In her own address, Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli said that while the event served to reward workers for their efforts, one must not forget that there were many workers who were not respected in their place of work.

She said that the government was striving to ensure that the number of employers who did not give enough importance to good working conditions would continue to fall, pointing out that the issue is on the agenda of the Malta Council for Social and Economic Development.