Qatar reworks labour practices following criticism
The country’s treatment of its labourforce was panned by human rights bodies, media
Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, the body in charge of managing preparations for the FIFA World Cup in the country, recently released a new set of measures aimed at reforming labour conditions in the country. The committee has said it will penalise contractors who violate the welfare of its construction workers.
Qatari authorities had earlier faced flak by various publications and human rights bodies from across the world after reports about deaths of various expat labourers working in the country emerged.
Amnesty findings had late last year revealed various infringements of human rights in the country’s labour camps.
“The committee reserves the right to penalise contractors who are non-compliant, or in extreme cases, terminate its contract with a company that is continually in breach of them,” the organising committee said in a statement. It added that the labour ministry had also increased the number of trained labour inspectors by 30% over the past six months to monitor contractors’ compliance.
Nearly 1.8mn foreigners are working on projects related to the World Cup 20022 in Qatar, as per a report by Reuters.
