His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued last week Law No (17) 2020 regarding determining the minimum wage for workers and domestic workers in Qatar. The issuance of this law coincided with two other decrees, one of them is Law Number 18 and the other is Law Number 19.
The two laws are related to amending some provisions of the Labour Law promulgated by Law Number 14 of 2004 and amending some provisions of Law Number 21 of 2015 which regulates the entry, exit and residence of expatriates in the country. These laws came in line with the continuous reform steps taken by the State of Qatar towards all work parties with an intention to enhance the concept of law as a basic pillar for protecting the rights of all concerned from any potential violation or unfair treatment against any other party, either he is a worker on the one hand or an employer on the other.
The three laws came in implementation of the Qatar National Vision 2030 through the strategic features of the national economy, which appreciates the role of workers as true partners in the development process the country is witnessing. It should be recalled the Ministerial Resolution Number Four of 2015 regarding the Labour Law in general, which constituted a remarkable stage for the wage protection system.
This latest step was among the first basic rights of workers, which is considered to be an important legislation because it ultimately fits into the regulations of human rights. Such steps are meant to promote rights within the legislative review and to follow up on labour issues in particular to ensure the interest of labourers. They also enact the related legislations with the intention to enhance the factors of trust, safety and effective partnership between dealers in the national market. This is to drive the economy to achieve a more positive and high-quality return.
In more depth, the State of Qatar’s approval of minimum wages for the working class contributes humanly to supporting the families of workers in economic term. This is certainly a human and social dimension meant to stimulate employment to more productivity through job satisfaction. The welcoming position of such gesture initiates a motive for excellence and competition among labourers. This is undoubtedly an important reason to raise production to global and international heights in line with the major events hosted by Qatar. 2022 FIFA World Cup and the accompanying infrastructure projects and the construction of stadiums are all but true manifestations of such daring decisions.
The new laws do not decide the minimum wage only. Rather, they came to fulfil commitments with regard to the necessity of providing other services, including housing and food. This is in line with the State’s total commitment to provide a decent life for all workers in light of a comprehensive and binding legal framework that leads to an enhanced wheel of development.
It also keeps the working environment way away from wasting time, effort and money which is generally caused by endless administrative bickering. In the context, these services are complementary to others in the health field, care, and safety from hazards, which all have been legislated by other parallel laws. All such commitments strengthen human relations in the first place and support the application of legal reference from a balanced and clear legislative standpoint.
Another point worth noting is allowing a migrant worker to change his employer before the end of his/her contract without first requesting a No-Objection Certificate from the sponsor. As a result, this eliminates the old method of having to obtain permission to exit the employer or the country at large.
Such guarantees by the new law do not cancel the rights of the employer if there are any administrative or legal claims. It is then up to the judicial authorities to practice their role in the event of any form of dispute between the parties concerned. The worker can freely change legality to the company or institution that offers him/her better privileges in proportion to the skills and experiences maintained. There is no doubt that the exercise of this right requires a common understanding based on prior understandings of all that are interested and involved.
The new laws are greatly welcomed by local business circles and international organisations, most notably what Maryam bint Abdullah al-Attiyah, Secretary-General of the National Committee for Human Rights, stated, “These decisions are a true indications that the State of Qatar is moving steadily towards preserving workers’ rights and taking care of them in line with its international, regional and national commitment, as well as being in the context of improving the living conditions for workers in the State of Qatar.”
In the same context, the International Labour Organisation of the United Nations stated that Qatar will become the first country in the region to adopt a non-discriminatory minimum wage. The new reform steps have also been described by the International Labour Organisation as “historic”. Such steps and decisions represent a real and serious pledge to aspire to a better future for workers by removing impurities in some laws specifically related to the private sector.
The continuous review of workers’ human rights legislation and its legal issuance in an appropriate, more fluid and harmonious manner with the spirit of the new laws is a work that is always welcome for the benefit of the State and its institutions in all different sectors. This is specific to the economic field, where the struggle with present crisis of Covid-19 has recently become an accompanying burden to care for.
Hence after, the importance of knowledge and continuous updating to create an effective balance between inputs and outputs of the working arena is but a vital issue to endure. The continuous discussion on improving labour conditions through seminars and lectures, with the participation of all parties including workers is very important as it raises awareness of the importance of improving services and pushes the wheel of administrative and legal scrutiny in constant circulation.
