March 24 – The International Labour Organisation (ILO), one of the oldest established United Nations agencies with 186 member states, says Qatar is making progress toward ending forced labour and improving conditions for migrant workers but that the real test will be whether it actually enforces new legislation by an ILO-imposed December deadline.
The hosts of the 2022 World Cup have imported thousands of construction workers and a high-level ILO team visited the Gulf state recently after persistent complaints about treatment.
Any decision over to appoint a commission of inquiry, imposed only 13 times in the history of the ILO, is being delayed to allow for reform implementation including the introduction of a new law to abolish the antiquated kafala sponsorship system in favour of a labour contract process.
In its report, the ILO mission said it “acknowledges the recent concrete measures taken by the government and other interlocutors” it met in Qatar to improve migrants’ working conditions. However, the report admitted “certain challenges remain, and the implementation of the measures to overcome them are still under way”.
“Concerns raised by migrant workers related to the payment of wages (non-payment, late payment and/or reduction of agreed wages), passport confiscation, long hours of work…the non-renewal of their identity cards by the employer and difficulty in transferring sponsorship,” the ILO’s report said.
Furthermore, the study reportedly added thousands of migrant workers were in accommodation that fell short of minimum standards, with 10-12 workers frequently sharing one small room, and unhygienic and poor kitchen and sanitary facilities.
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