International Labour Organization (ILO), Regional Director for Arab States H E Dr. Ruba Jaradat
Geneva: International Labour Organization (ILO), Regional Director for Arab States H E Dr. Ruba Jaradat has said that the reforms achieved by Qatar in the field of the labour market in recent years, which were implemented in record time and at a rapid pace, were exemplar.
She stressed that the organization appreciates and commends the reforms witnessed by the labor market in Qatar in recent years. In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the sidelines of the International Labor Conference in its 110th session currently being held in Geneva, Jaradat stressed the close and continuous cooperation between Qatar and the ILO to further develop all these reforms, with a view to addressing some minor problems in application. She said that, the reforms that Qatar has witnessed in the labor market field are great and have been implemented in record time.
She pointed out that the ILO office has been operating in Doha for more than four years which witnessed great progress and a remarkable pace in the labor market and are still being achieved and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will also be an opportunity to celebrate these achievements.
Jaradat pointed out that Qatar did not hesitate to achieve reforms in the labor market, as it continued to do so even in the darkest conditions that the world witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that the reform process continued, whether related to the sponsorship system or occupational safety and health and wages, as well as with domestic workers, labor courts, voice of workers, and others.
Jaradat indicated that there are major developments in terms of new laws and policies, and important developments in terms of institutions’ ability to ensure a more effective application of these laws and policies, and to increase partnerships with a large number of stakeholders, especially representatives of workers and employers.
She explained that one of the major achievements in labor market reform in Qatar so far has been the ability of workers to change jobs without prior consent from their employers. Jaradat said that this reform allowed greater labor mobility in the country, improved workers’ conditions, companies have also benefited as they are able to hire workers locally and find workers that better match their needs, and in return Qatar economy benefits from retaining skills and experience within the country.
She stressed that it is of paramount importance that the reforms taking place align with the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to build a more competitive and diversified, knowledge-based economy where the most attractive labor market in Qatar will allow it to compete globally for attracting talent and investment.
Regarding the agreement signed between Qatar and the ILO in 2017, She said that the evaluation conducted by the International Organization for the first phase of technical cooperation between Qatar and the organization for the period 2017-21 was very positive. Jaradat said that the results of the first phase were officially launched in the presence of all partners and relevant stakeholders who expressed their happiness with the results and achievements made by Qatar in this regard, describing the results achieved in the first phase as ‘rare’, and ILO is working in over 140 countries around the world, and it’s rare to see change happen at this pace.
She explained that the first stage made fundamental changes at the legislative level. Jaradat said that in the first year after the introduction of these reforms, more than 240,000 workers changed their employers, which is a large proportion of the workforce which has changed the dynamic between workers and employers.
Moreover, Jaradat said, since the minimum wage was set up, over 280,000 workers (13 percent of the workforce) have seen their wages increase.
She said that in regard to the second phase of the technical cooperation agreement, there are recommendations included in the evaluation of the first phase that will be worked on during the second phase that has already begun, which focuses on implementing the labor reform agenda by strengthening the various institutions of labor administration.
She also stressed the importance of benefiting from the successful experience of reforms made in the Qatari labor market and generalizing them, as there are many good practices that have been followed in Qatar that can be shared with other countries in the region and abroad.
Jaradat said that these practices include, for example, setting a minimum non-discriminatory wages which include minimum thresholds for food and housing, while heat stress legislation strengthens worker protections from one of Qatar’s main occupational risks, one that more workers in other regions around the world will face with climate change.
She spoke about future cooperation between the organization and Qatar, stressing the desire to continue long-term cooperation between the two parties through the Regional Office for Arab States, and revealed discussions between the two sides in a formula to establish long-term cooperation in areas of work exceeding current project.
