Qatar launches year-long campaign to protect workers

Government inspectors have launched a year-long campaign to crack down on violations by employers across Qatar, it emerged on Monday.

The Labour Inspection Department at the Ministry of Labour is planning to check the behaviour of at least 100 businesses per month as part of the new initiative.

Speaking to Gulf Times, department manager Mohamed Saeed al-Naimi said that the country had been divided into 26 zones, with as many teams inspecting employees’ health and safety, the condition at labour accommodation and other benefits granted by the state’s laws.

“This is a year-long plan to check everything from accommodation to payment of salaries on time, and will end on July 1, 2010 covering the whole of Qatar,” al-Naimi told the paper.

Each team comprises a health and safety inspector, an official checking on salaries and records and a team leader who writes the final remarks.

“This shows the importance  the government lays on protecting labour rights in Qatar. In addition to the current campaign, there will be random checks on companies that are referred to us by the Labour Relations Department,” al-Naimi added.

He said the number one complaint that the inspection department received was about delayed salaries. Poor accommodation ranked second on the list.

“As a matter of procedure, we warn the violators and suspend granting them new visas. We also take up their RP (residence permit) renewal requests one by one to make it more difficult for them. We hope they learn to abide by rules after encountering these difficulties,” the official said.

However, no company is “blacklisted” by the Labour Department as popularly assumed. The department merely rejects the application of defaulting employers for new visas.

READERS' COMMENTS

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM