Non-payment of wages is the "main complaint" of migrant workers to the Qatari Ministry of Labor, according to two reports from the International Labor Organization (ILO) on Tuesday, 19 days before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. emirate.
The number of complaints has "more than doubled" (reaching 34,425 between October 2021 and October 2022) thanks to the launch of an online filing platform last year, according to these reports which urge Qatar to "continue to work for the full respect for international labor standards”.
Covid-19 has made the problem worse
"The main causes of complaints relate to the non-payment of wages and severance pay, and annual leave not granted or paid", indicates the ILO, which adds that 66.5% were settled amicably. and 30.7% in court.
In 84% of cases, “the judge agreed with the worker”.
“Until July 2022, 582,400,000 Qatari riyals (160 million euros) had been paid (to compensate) more than 37,000 workers”, adds the agency.
“This amount rose to QAR 1,165,316,181 (more than EUR 320 million) as of September 30, 2022. This demonstrates the extent of the problem of unpaid wages”, aggravated by the coronavirus crisis, she believes.
After obtaining the organization of the 2022 World Cup in 2010 (November 20-December 18), Qatar has been regularly criticized by international unions and NGOs for its human rights violations, in particular of migrant workers from Asia and Africa in the construction, security, hospitality and domestic work sectors.
Minimum wage
Between 2018 and 2020, the emirate undertook reforms that had "a positive impact" according to 86% of the 1,036 migrant workers surveyed in May and June 2022 as part of these reports.
The introduction in March 2021 of a minimum wage affected "more than 280,000 workers, or about 13% of the total private sector workforce", says the ILO.
In August 2022, 67,128 companies were registered in the Wage Protection System set up in 2015 and 913 were in violation of the rules, risking fines and imprisonment.
These reports also show that the number of workers treated for heat-related problems has fallen since new rules in 2021. But they do not mention the number of deaths in accidents at work, which the ILO had estimated at 50 in 2020.
"There are still challenges"
NGOs accuse Qatar of underestimating the number of deaths on construction sites linked to the World Cup and demand that football's governing body, FIFA, set up a workers' compensation fund.
The country "has shown its determination to advance its reform program", estimates for its part the ILO, seized in 2014 of a complaint by international unions against Qatar and installed in the country since 2018.
But "it is universally recognized that there are still challenges in its implementation, which is not surprising given the scale and pace of the reforms undertaken", continues the UN agency.
German visit to Doha
Among the priorities, “mechanisms allowing workers to file complaints and recover their wages must be strengthened,” she said.
It also points to “the need to ensure that all (…) can benefit from labor mobility laws”, while more than 348,450 people were able to change jobs between November 1, 2020 and November 31. August 2022, which was previously not possible without permission from the employer.
“The rights of domestic workers must be better protected”, concludes the ILO.
While NGOs are worried about the abandonment of reforms after the World Cup, the Qatari government wants "that the ILO establish a more permanent presence in Doha" after 2023, it is specified in these reports.
Their release comes as German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and German Football Association President Bernd Neuendorf are visiting the emirate.
On Friday, Germany's ambassador to Doha was summoned after Faeser said "Qatar's hosting (of the World Cup) was very tricky" from Berlin's perspective.
Sport
World Cup 2022: Qatar expels migrant workers to make room for tourists
World
Qatar: Three Pakistani firefighters killed in crane accident
Sport
Qatar
World Cup 2022
Migrants
Working conditions
ngo