Qatar: Top complaint of migrant workers is unpaid salaries
19 days out from the start of the football World Cup, the UN labour office reported on Tuesday that unpaid payments continue to dominate migrant workers’ complaints.
In a study that urged Qatar to speed up the execution of measures put out in response to criticism of its record on human rights, the International Labour Organization said that the number of worker complaints more than doubled in a year to 34,425 with the debut of a new online platform.
According to the ILO report, “the main causes of complaints concerned non-payment of wages and end-of-service benefits, as well as annual leave not being granted or paid,” adding that 10,500 cases were heard by labour tribunals, where almost all judges found in favour of the plaintiffs.
According to the report, after the implementation of new restrictions in 2021, the number of workers treated for heat-related issues related to the Gulf state’s sweltering summer temperatures had also decreased.
According to the report, this summer 351 migrant workers were seen at four clinics, down from 620 in 2021 and 1,520 in 2020.
Qatar, where the World Cup begins on November 20, has come under heavy fire for its treatment of migrant workers and lack of equality for women and LGBTQ people.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), Qatar has implemented “significant” reforms that have “improved the working and living conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers” and are having an effect on the Gulf region as a whole.
Qatar: Top complaint of migrant workers is unpaid salaries
According to the report, “there is universal recognition that more needs to be done to fully apply and enforce the labour reforms.”
Ruba Jaradat, the ILO regional director for Arab states, said, “We all recognise that we are not yet at the finish line. We will build on this solid foundation to address the gaps in implementation, and ensure that all workers and employers can fully benefit from these major reforms.”
