DOHA: The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs (MADLSA) is aware of recent media reports that suggest the law on working hours may have been broken by a hospitality provider in Doha.
Working hours in Qatar are strictly regulated and recruitment fees are illegal. Where violations of the law occur, workers are encouraged to report these and have multiple mechanisms to do so. This is also backed up by the Ministry’s labour inspection teams who regularly investigate employers who are suspected to be in breach of the law.
In addition to this, Qatar is working with the International Labour Organisation and countries of origin to eliminate employment fees at source and introduce mechanisms that prevent contract substitution. In the coming months, 20 visa processing centres will open in eight countries as part of these efforts. The first centre opened in Colombo, Sri Lanka in October 2018.
The Ministry added that it will work to ensure its labour force is protected by the best possible legal standards. Employers should understand that this means that the ministry will act to enforce these laws, companies that break the law, will be prosecuted.
