Qatar has enacted a number of laws and promulgated rules to reform the labour system and protect the rights of migrant workers in the country. The country’s achievements and progress in this regard have been acknowledged and appreciated by the global community. Some sections of the Western media, however, have exaggerated in their reporting of labour rights in Qatar.
In a letter to the editor of the Guardian newspaper in the UK, Qatar’s media attaché to the UK has highlighted the country’s achievements and progress on labour reforms. It said a report carried by the British paper failed to acknowledge the progress Qatar has made to improve living and working standards for foreign workers.
The letter highlighted that the process to change jobs has been made easier and since September 2020, over 240,000 workers have successfully switched employers.
In March 2021, Qatar introduced a minimum monthly wage of QR1,000, which applies to all employees across all sectors in Qatar, including domestic workers. The employer must additionally provide QAR500 per month for accommodation and QR300 per month for food unless provided by their employer. The new minimum wage has directly benefitted more than 400,000 workers.
Over the decades, rapid infrastructure development has attracted hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to the country. According to government figures, Qatar currently provides jobs for almost two million people.
The letter also highlighted country’s strict enforcement of the labour laws and rules. It said 35,280 accommodation and worksite inspections were carried out in the first half of 2021, and 13,724 penalties issued to violating companies.
Last year, the country also abolished the requirement of exit permits for most expat workers to travel abroad. Since then, hundreds of thousands of workers have left Qatar and returned without permission from their employer.
To protect workers from harsh climate during the summer, the government has barred work in the open from 10am to 3.30pm, from June 1 to September 15. The decree further states that workers must have access to heat stress training, access to personal protection equipment, and annual health checks. Similarly, all work must stop if the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) rises beyond 32.1, taking into consideration more than ambient temperature. The official highlighted that the labour reforms is an ongoing process and Qatar remains firmly committed to cooperation, transparency and continuous improvement of its labour system.
