The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has sharply criticised Qatar over its use of forced labour, and called for major labour law reforms including urgent changes to the “kafala” employment system, domestic workers’ rights and compliance with international laws that allow migrant workers to join trade unions and bargain collectively for decent wages and protection at work.
Qatar has been given until November to reform its kafala system of modern slavery and bring its labour laws into line with international standards, after a decision of the International Labour Organization’s Governing Body.
“The ruling from the ILO puts companies on notice that doing business with Qatar goes against international laws. Until Qatar brings its laws in line with international norms, companies face the reputational and legal risks of using forced labour in Qatar.”
[See end of this page to see links to the sources from ILO ]
New information from Nepalese and Indian Embassies in Qatar shows:
- Thirty-six Indian and Nepalese workers died in February 2014
- 26 more Indian workers died in March
- 350 Nepalese workers and 166 Indians remain stuck in Doha’s notorious migrant “Deportation Centre”
The ILO noted the widespread problem of non-payment of wages to migrant workers, employers withholding workers’ passports, the lack of penalties applied for forced labour, the absence of sanctions on unscrupulous migration agents, and poor regulation of occupational health and safety, working hours, overtime, rest time and wages.
Qatar was also urged by the ILO to urgently introduce protection for domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are women and who have no protection from exploitation and even assault.
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Government blocs from Asia, Africa and Latin America refused to back calls for immediate action by worker and employer representatives. EU/Nordic governments and the USA supported the worker and employer position.
Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said, “Qatar used its financial muscle over other governments to buy yet more time, after years of empty promises to bring its system of slave labour to an end. Worst of all, governments from Asia and Africa, where most of the 1.5 million migrant workers in Qatar come from, refused to stand up for their own people. A further six-month delay will cost scores of lives as workers are forced to work through the incredibly hot summer months without basic protection and at the mercy of kafala employers.
“Qatar’s leaders knowingly choose to impose modern day slavery on migrant workers who are forced to borrow to pay for illegal recruitment fees, forced to live in squalor and paid poverty wages. They have no effective means to have grievances settled or disputes resolved, no right to change jobs even to escape from abusive employers, and their bosses can force them to stay in the country for years by denying an exit visa.
Our recent visits to Qatar’s notorious labour camps revealed that wages for many are actually falling, and more cases of workers who are imported into the country only to be left without a job, destitute and with no way home. The combined death rate of migrant workers from India and Nepal alone still stands at one every day.
“The richest country in the world could choose to change, but has opted instead to deploy its economic power to shore up its corrupt system for yet another six months.”
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