Qatar’s new World Cup worker welfare standards have been dismissed as a sham by welfare and trade union groups, which claim they fall short of properly protecting migrants’ rights.
The Workers’ Welfare Standards document, released by Qatar on Tuesday in response to outcry over the treatment of construction workers building World Cup facilities, sets out regulations “throughout the entire chain of contracting, from recruitment to repatriation”.
It includes greater scrutiny of worker payments, comprehensive specifications for worker accommodation, as well as more labour inspectors to support the new welfare standards all overseen by a Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
Amnesty International’s researcher on migrants’ rights in the Gulf, James Lynch, said the standards represented a positive – if partial – effort to prevent some of the worst abuses from taking place on World Cup projects.
However, they only addressed the concerns of a relatively small proportion of migrant workers in Qatar – those involved in the construction of stadiums and training grounds – and did not apply to thousands of other migrant workers building other World Cup infrastructure such as roads, hotels and railways.
“The reality is that all foreign workers across the country are still subject to the restrictive sponsorship system which facilitates abuse,” Lynch said.
“There are also serious questions relating to the implementation of these standards. In our experience enforcement is almost always the stumbling block. We need to know how the Supreme Committee will effectively address non-compliance by contractors and subcontractors.
“Ultimately, these standards alone will not be enough – we need to see real reform including to the sponsorship system, led by the government, for all of Qatar’s workers.”
Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said the charter merely reinforced the discredited kafala system, which tied workers to their employers and prevented them from leaving the country or changing jobs without permission.
She said with no legal compliance mechanism such as a tribunal, there is no possibility of enforcing the provisions.
“This charter is a sham for workers. It promises health and safety but provides no credible enforcement. It promises employment standards but gives migrant workers no rights to collectively bargain or join a trade union. It promises equality but does not provide a guarantee of a minimum wage,” she said.
“If FIFA are serious about Qatar continuing to host the World Cup in 2022, they will demand freedom of association such that workers can be represented by those they choose.”
The charter follows allegations of forced labour in Qatar, as scrutiny from the media and NGOs has intensified. Following an October 2013 visit to Qatar, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants noted a lack of labour law enforcement and advised companies to undertake greater due diligence in monitoring worker conditions.
Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: “We have always believed that Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup would be a catalyst to accelerate positive initiatives already being undertaken by Qatar, which will leave a legacy of enhanced, sustainable and meaningful progress in regards to worker welfare across the country.
“We already see this progress taking place across Qatar on a daily basis, and will continue to work hard to make our vision become the ever-present reality on the ground.”
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