HRW: Workers in Qatar Still Facing Abuses
Gulf
Asharq Al-Awsat
Qatar's massive migrant workforce is still being exploited by employers who withhold wages, threaten expulsion, and deduct pay, leaving some staff unable to eat, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. Widespread abuses persist even after Qatar -- where more than 90 percent of the 2.75 population are migrant workers -- pledged to clean up its act following a torrent of criticism of its labor laws when it won the contest to host the 2022 World Cup a decade ago, AFP reported. "Independent employers, as well as those operating labor supply companies, frequently delay, withhold, or arbitrarily deduct workers' wages," AFP quoted the New York-based rights group as saying in a report. HRW said it interviewed more than 93 migrant workers working for more than 60 companies or employers and reviewed legal documents as part of its investigation. "Employers often withhold contractually guaranteed overtime payments and end-of service benefits, and they regularly violate their contracts with migrant workers with impunity," it said. Qatari authorities have taken numerous steps to protect workers -- including the creation of an electronic Wage Protection System meant to detect unpaid salaries. However, the effectiveness of the WPS has been mixed with numerous high profile cases of major contractors failing to pay. The coronavirus pandemic has hit many sectors of the Qatari economy and left many employers unable to pay wages. On March 16, Qatar announced a 75 billion riyal ($20.6 billion) business stimulus packages that included three billion riyals to cover worker wages. "Since the pandemic first appeared in Qatar, these abuses have appeared more frequently," HRW said. "In the worst cases, workers told Human Rights Watch that employers simply stopped paying their wages, and they often struggled to feed themselves." "Taking employers and their companies to the Labor Relations department or the Labor Dispute Resolution Committees is difficult, costly, time-consuming, ineffective, and can often result in retaliation," the watchdog said. HRW called on Qatar to enact recommendations by the UN's International Labor Organization to lay down prompt payment laws, protect bank accounts and introduce expedited adjudication in cases of non-payment. HRW's 78-page report highlighted the case of a Ugandan security guard who was promised $329 a month, but between September 2019 and December 2019 was paid for just one month. "They think that's enough money to survive a month in Qatar? It is not. I starve for food, my family back (home) starves for food," he told HRW.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2465791/hrw-workers-qatar-still-facing-abuses
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