2022 World Cup in Qatar: migrant workers unpaid for seven months
Text by: RFI Follow
Some of them were employed on the construction site of a stadium and received part of their dues after contacting FIFA with Amnesty International. For the NGO, this is another illustration of the exploitation of workers in Qatar, particularly in the context of the 2022 World Cup.
Publicity
Read more" This concerns more than 100 workers," says Sabine Gagnier, advocacy officer for Amnesty International, at the microphone of Oriane Verdier , of the RFI international service. Their problems began in early 2019 and continued until 2020. These unpaid months are months when workers have worked and we know the working conditions in Qatar : often dangerous conditions in extreme temperatures. "
Coming from Asia and Africa, this hundred workers from the company Qatar Meta Coats (QMC) worked on the great Al-Bayt stadium, emblem of the local Bedouin culture with its tent-shaped architecture. They did not receive wages over a seven-month period, according to the Amnesty report released on Wednesday. Some eventually received partial pay on June 7, the source said.
Problems well known by the Ministry of Labor
In its report, the human rights NGO affirms that “ the problems encountered by QMC workers have been well known to the Ministry of Labor of Qatar and the body responsible for organizing the country's soccer World Cup since almost a year . "
In a letter to the NGO, the Qatari organizers of the 2022 World Cup confirmed that they had been informed of the non-payment of salaries in July 2019. " Since then, we have been working to find a solution, " they say. In financial difficulty, QMC was banned from working on World Cup projects and was sold to new owners, according to the organizers.
Kafala reform
“ We do not know why FIFA was not aware of the human rights abuses on this specific site of the Al-Bayt stadium, points Sabine Gagnier . Admittedly, there have been advances, some reforms, but these standards are not sufficiently respected. On the other hand, Qatar was committed to reforming the kafala system , which is a sponsorship system. But in reality, migrant workers still depend on their employer, especially for their presence in the country, since it is the employer who must provide them with valid residence permits. It is the employer who must also authorize their employees to change jobs. "
The Qatari authorities have taken many social protection measures to protect workers, but their effectiveness on the ground has been questioned by NGOs. Rare workers' strikes and international media attention have prompted the wealthy gas state to intervene repeatedly, paying the wages itself and filing lawsuits against the offending companies.
► Read also: Qatar 2022: Amnesty International highlights the exploitation of foreign workers
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