INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Global criticism of the treatment of hundreds of thousands of workers from countries such as Nepal, India and Bangladesh who have been
People are working in severe temperatures
Workers have been dying in their sleep
These deaths may be caused by the work, and their families should be compensated.At least there is a minimum wage now
The problem is that it is too low
How many billions of dollars has Qatar spent on preparations for the World Cup? The minimum wage is a drop in the ocean.We are dealing with
OrganizationKafala [a systemunder which workers cannot freely change jobs] was abolished for two or three months only
After that, these powerful Qataris who own big companies complained and the changes were watered down
Now there is a requirement to get your company to approve your resignation
This is like bringing the kafala system again through the back door.The first time I was detained in Qatar was for trying to change my job
Is it really fair play when there is nothing for the workers? Yes, a lot of workers got employment but it was under exploitative conditions
For Fifa, it was an afterthought.Geoffrey, a Kenyan, worked in Qatar for three and a half years
reforms had positively affected their lives.Changes to the kafala system have led to labour mobility
Now workers can negotiate for better conditions, and employers are incentivised to provide them in order to attract and retain
talent.Legislation has also been introduced on the minimum wage, on protecting outdoor workers during the summer months, and on the election
of migrant worker representatives within companies.Over the past five years, the government has engaged closely with the ILO [International
Labour Organization], international trade unions, NGOs and others
Notably, staff from the global unions are based with us here in Doha, raising awareness among workers, and helping them to resolve the
streamline access to justice and the recovery of due wages; and to ensure that the law protecting domestic workers is fully implemented.We
are all impatient to see the reforms fully applied and enforced, but we also recognise that we are dealing with new laws and new
institutions, and changing practices that have been deeply entrenched for decades.The World Cup was never the finish line, but rather a key
All the big contractors were fighting one another to win the work
They were winning jobs at any cost
save their money is by not paying suppliers or our salaries and end of services.Reforms and reactions have been to primarily ward off
criticism, without focusing on buy-in and behavioural change locallyVani Saraswathi, Migrant RightsAll the government and supreme committee
We did all our inspections at the good accommodation
The eyes of the world will no longer be on Qatar
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In a region hostile to civil society interventions or criticism, Qatar has engaged with its critics
Much of our concern is with the latter.Every claim of reform the Qatari authorities make has to be heavily caveatedPete Pattisson,
investigative journalistThe removal of the no-objection certificate [which workers required from their employer in order to change jobs] was
by far the most important of the changes
It gave migrant workers an opportunity to tap into the local job market for better opportunities
For the first few months, the job change process was almost seamless, until employers started pushing back
check, negating to a large degree the effectiveness of the reforms
This is not about culture but selective reforms that still give power to the employer.The true test, and the real opportunity for meaningful
change, will happen after the World Cup
ward off criticism, without focusing on buy-in and behavioural change locally
believe Qatar will not regress on its legal commitments post-2022, but if they are to be enforced, it will require dialogue at the
grassroots level to show that ensuring the human rights of migrant workers and business profitability is not a zero-sum game.Vani Saraswathi
is the editor-at-large of the website for Migrant Rights, an organisation that advocates for migrant rights across the GulfPete Pattisson:
This is poverty pay, in one of the richest countries in the world per capita
Employers must also provide food and board, or an additional allowance to pay for them
On my recent visits to Qatar, almost every worker I spoke to said they were unable to change jobs, leaving them at the mercy of abusive
employers.Both reforms only came into force 10 years after Qatar won the right to host the World Cup, and long after most of the stadiums
and infrastructure were completed.That is not to say nothing has changed, but every claim of reform the Qatari authorities make has to be
organising committee has introduced a scheme to partly reimburse the huge illegal fees workers are forced to pay to secure their jobs, but
summer heat, but the authorities have done little to investigate the sudden and unexplained deaths of thousands of workers
Countless families of deceased workers have been left without compensation.The Qatari authorities and Fifa claim the World Cup will leave a
Some of the reforms have stalled even before a ball has been kicked.
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
