DOHA: A lawyer yesterday told a symposium that if Qatar was being criticised for laws that were seen as restricting the rights of workers engaged in the 2022 FIFA World Cup projects, then these workers should be kept out of the purview of sponsorship and exit permit rules.
In a paper presented on the Amnesty International’s latest report on Qatar’s labour situation, Yusuf Al Zaman said since Amnesty was mainly talking about workers engaged in World Cup-related projects, they could be treated separately from the rest of the foreign workforce.
“Let the question of sponsorship of these workers be decided by the job agreements they sign and let their exit be decided by the Ministry of Interior,” Al Zaman said.
He was speaking at a symposium on labour rights held under the aegis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for labour inspectors.
This was the second such symposium for labour inspectors held this week. On Sunday, the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) held one.
Workers engaged in World Cup-related projects are different as they are working on government projects and do not concern the common Qatari or even companies. “They are not domestic workers.”
They could be allowed to keep their passports, said Al Zaman. To travel overseas, they should not go to their sponsors and instead approach the interior ministry for exit permits.
“Let their employment contract outline all conditions to be mutually agreed upon by them (the workers) and their employers,” said the lawyer.
He was one of the speakers at the symposium. He said model and ethical rules and regulations for workers had been developed by the Supreme Committee for Legacy and Delivery and by key employers like Qatar Foundation, Ashghal and Qatar Rail for projects awarded and supervised by them.
At Sunday’s workshop for labour inspectors held by the NHRC, the main speakers were Rashid Sabih Al Marri, director of administrative affairs at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and Dr Mohamed Saif Al Kuwari, board member of the NHRC.
Al Marri told the participants that the labour minister will issue a decision to help implement the law issued earlier this year making it mandatory for all employers in Qatar to pay their workers’ salaries through official channels.
THE PENINSULA
