Qatar’s leading role in the region on labour reforms has been recognised by global human and labour rights organisations at numerous occasions in recent years. Qatar has taken a number of concrete steps to safeguard workers’ rights and introduced new laws to promote the cause.
The progress in workers’ welfare and labour rights which has been achieved by Qatar in the run-up to the hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022 has been praised during a seminar organised on the sidelines of the International Labour Conference in Geneva.
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, a new minimum wage law has already led to increase wages for 280,000 workers and legislation has been introduced on working during high temperatures.
The labour reforms also include new regulations on overtime pay, termination and conditions of employment for domestic workers, the setting up of 14 new Qatar Visa Centres in several origin countries, as well as joint committees being established to facilitate worker participation in companies.
Meanwhile, addressing a conference organised in Geneva by the Ministry of Labour entitled “Labour Reforms in Qatar: Tripartite Cooperation Contribute to the Formulation of a Common Vision” on Thursday, Minister of Labour Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri affirmed that Qatar has adopted a sustainable approach to develop and modernise legislation and laws and optimising the business environment, confirming that the improvements to the labour environment came within Qatar National Vision 2030, while the organisation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was a crucial factor in accelerating the pace of development of labour legislation.
Qatar’s sincere and consistent steps, taken both by introducing new pieces of legislation and implementing them, regarding safeguarding workers rights are winning international recognition.
Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organisation Moussa Oumarou, stressed, in hisspeech, that Qatar has implemented numerous fundamental reforms in the labour sector, describing them as the widest in the past years, noting that the laws and legislation that have been developed have significantly contributed to improving the environment business work in the country.
Secretary-General of the International Trade Union Confederation Sharan Burrow, described the labour reforms in Qatar during the past10 years as a tremendous success story that comes in support of the global labour sector reforms strategy, calling for the need for everyone to replicate this pioneering experience of Qatar in other countries in the region.
