DOHA: The new law regulating the entry, exit and residency of foreigners has evoked a positive reaction both from the Qatari and expatriate communities.
The law is a balanced one and is fair to both, the employers and their foreign employees, says prominent Qatari businessman Ahmed Al Khalaf.
He told this newspaper, citing an example of its fairness, that if an employer doesn’t want to allow an expatriate because he has trade secrets, he can mention that via clause in his employment contract.
“So where is the problem?” wondered Al Khalaf. As for exit permit, he said it is a worker’s legal right. Al Khalaf said that the new law would silence international human rights organizations which were criticizing Qatar.
Financial analyst and community elder Abdullah Al Khater has lauded the new law regulating the entry, exit and residency of foreigners in Qatar saying it no more uses the terms ‘sponsorship and worker’. The terms have been replaced with ‘employers and expatriates’.
Now the relationship of an expatriate worker and his employer will be based entirely on the job contract both sign.
More rights have been bestowed on expatiate workers, said Al Khater in remarks to this newspaper.
Cash dealings by companies will end as the wage protection system (WPS) comes into force next month. This means that companies will not be at risk like they are now since their expatriate employees handle a lot of cash and distribute wages to low-income workers, he said.
The Indian ambassador to Qatar Sanjiv Arora and several expatriate businessmen and community leaders also welcomed the new law. “Ensuring the well being and welfare of the large and highly regarded Indian community in Qatar is our highest priority and we appreciate the cooperation and support of Qatari authorities in this regard. We welcome the ongoing process of labour reforms under taken by the Qatari government. The new law is an important initiative in this context,” said the ambassador.
“We look forward to implementation of further measures being considered,” he added.
Kareem Abdullah, community consultant at the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) described the law as an important step in protecting the rights of the expatriate workers.
The provision allowing expatriate employees to change jobs after the contract period is particularly laudable, he said.
“However, there should be measures to ensure that job-related disputes between employers and employees will be settled in a faster way,” said Abdullah.
It is also necessary to ensure that newly recruited blue-collar workers hold a copy of the original job contract attested by the labour ministry and the respective embassies before their arrival in Qatar, he added.
Gopal Subramaniam, Partner at KPMG said, “Definitely a welcome change. Expatriate population has been waiting for this for long. There has been a perception that a section of employers have been holding their employees to ransom. I see the Emir’s gesture as a great redress. It’s a healthy move.”
“But I wish the authorities could have revisited the clauses regarding the issuance of exit permit. There should be some mechanism to address the emergency exit of people, especially the corporate captains who are frequent flyers . There will be emergencies when the corporate chiefs will have to take a decision to fly within hours. Authorities concerned can have a re-look into these issues,” he added.
Ali bin Ali, director, Ansar Group said the law will benefit all businesses in the country.
“The decision will create more opportunities for people coming to Qatar. It gives more power to the prospective employees as they will now be able to negotiate more with their employers. Companies will now not have to depend on recruiting workforce from outside of countries. Companies will now be able to recruit from inside the country,” said Ali.
Shamudheen Olakara, Chairman, Quality Group International said, “The new law will protect the interests of both the employers and the employees and help create better working environment. The decision will also reduce labour disputes. I believe the new law is a game changer in Qatar’s labour reforms. It will attract fresh talents to the country”.
Ressie S Fos, Vice Chairman, United Filipino Organisations in Qatar said, “The current approved changes, though not as I expected, will still bring favourable reform in the system and benefits to the expatriates, as the changes ensures the possibility of sponsorship transfer after meeting certain terms. In the old law, NOC is purely discretionary to the sponsor, unless the employer violates the law, in which case, the Ministry may overrule. Thus, we should still be grateful to the changes as these show the government of Qatar sees the need for reform.”
Joseph Timothy Rivera, Chairman, Association of Filipino Real Estate Executives in Qatar (Afreeq) said that the law has come in the right time.
“We welcome the new law very much, especially we Filipinos. We are very happy about it as it gives employees freedom of choice.”
He felt that employees should use the law to their advantage but not abuse it. And the new law should be an eye-opener to the employers. “I hope they would be encouraged to improve the welfare of their employees in order to retain them,” said Rivera.
The Peninsula
