Ministry says labour reforms benefit thousands of workers

Qatar is keen and always stresses that a safe and healthy work environment is a necessity, and that safety of workers is a priority.

Qatar's efforts in this regard are not exerted to satisfy a particular party, states, individuals or organisations, but are based on a religious, moral, humanitarian and constitutional standpoint, and in accordance with the authentic customs and traditions of its people, as well as their civilisational values of hospitality.Under the directives of its wise leadership, and before winning the honour of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the State was keen to enact a lot of legislation and laws and carry out extensive reforms in the labour environment, in line with the highest standards in the international labour sector.There is no doubt that the pace of these efforts has increased and witnessed reforms, and the labour market has witnessed many positive changes, that were praised by all concerned parties, especially the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which opened its office in Doha.The labour reforms in Qatar have benefited hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers.The ILO revealed in a report issued this month about the great shift that the Qatari labour market has witnessed in the past few years, after the legislation adopted by the government to reform the labour sector took effect.Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs HE Mohamed Hassan al-Obaidli said in a statement to QNA that the technical co-operation with the ILO in previous years came at the request of Qatar, noting that the joint programmes and projects have enhanced opportunities to benefit from international experiences and apply global standards in the labour sector.He said Qatar has become a role model in the region in the field of labour, and it will start showing its distinguished initiatives at the Asian labour ministers conference to be held at the end of this year in Singapore.Al-Obaidli hailed the commitment of Qatari employers and companies to labour laws and legislation, noting the active role and positive participation of Qatar Chamber and its participation in the implementation of many pioneering programmes and projects to develop the labour environment, with technical co-operation with the ILO.He pointed out that Qatar has always believed in constructive dialogue, co-operation and co-ordination with various international and human rights organisations, in the interest of the country's labour market, adding that laws and reforms that have been implemented come within the development strategy and in implementation of the Qatar National Vision 2030.Very few labour complaints have been received by the ministry, compared to the number of workers in the country, he said, noting that about 89% of workers in the country have benefited from the labour laws and legislation, according to a survey conducted by the institute of research and studies at Qatar University.The National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT), headed by HE the Minister of Labour and Chairman of the Committee Dr Ali bin Saeed bin Smaikh al-Marri, plays an important role in enhancing protection and support for victims of trafficking, and co-operation between related parties.According to the ILO report, 86% of workers confirmed that the reforms had a positive impact on their lives, according to a survey commissioned in May and June 2022 among 1,036 low-paid workers and residing in shared accommodation sites. The workers were of multiple nationalities working in various economic sectors. (QNA)####Regard the false media allegations surrounding the labour file, Al Obaidli said that the State is being subjected to a fierce and systematic misleading media campaign, aimed at undermining it as it will host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, stressing that the laws Qatar enacted and the reforms it implemented, as well as the positive results of these efforts that have been reflected on the expatriate workers, are the best response to refute these allegations.The Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Labour also affirmed that Qatar is steadfastly moving forward with its efforts, and will continue to work with the relevant authorities to complete the reform process and enhance the State's position as a pioneer of change in the region, without paying attention to those who try to dissuade it.Accordingly, Al Obaidli's statements to QNA fully confirm that the lies and allegations of skeptics about the reforms of the labour sector and the labour environment in Qatar and the benefit of expatriate workers from them are untrue and biased, and have their own agendas.Critics ignore all the positive effects of the labour sector in Qatar without justifications and arguments, forgetting ILO's reports, as the first UN organization responsible for such issues, as well as the reports of other relevant international bodies that closely documented reforms from inside Qatar and met with the concerned officials, government, employers and the workers themselves.Those skeptics do not even mention that hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers in Qatar have been able to change their workplace since announcing the facilitation of procedures allowing migrant workers to change jobs in September 2020.They also failed to indicate that more than 400,000 workers benefited directly from the new minimum wage, which resulted in an increase in salaries and other financial incentives.As a result of labour market reforms, hundreds of thousands of workers have been able to leave Qatar and return to it without obtaining prior permission from their employer, since exit permits were canceled in 2018, while the wage protection system contributed to protecting more than 96% of workers from violations related to wages.In addition, Qatar visa centers in the labour-sending countries contribute significantly to reducing the exploitative practices that workers are exposed to before their arrival in Qatar, as well as the decision to extend the period of working hours in which it is prohibited to work in open workplaces during the summer to reduce effects of heat stress.In this context, Qatar has also strengthened the procedures for implementing laws to protect expatriate workers and hold violating employers accountable, while the number of inspectors working for the Ministry of Labour is witnessing a continuous increase every year, while enhancing their abilities to conduct comprehensive investigations of working conditions, refer violators to labour courts, and raise awareness of laws relating to employees and employers.More companies are also held accountable every year for violating labour laws, with the increase in inspection campaigns to monitor the extent to which establishments comply with laws and ministerial decisions concerned with regulating the labour market, receiving and adjudicating labour complaints, and issuing appropriate decisions by dispute settlement committees in cases referred to them.The number of cases referred to the committees in October amounted to about 635 cases, and the total number of decisions issued amounted to 513 cases.Another survey conducted by ILO stated that 98% of respondents received their wages on time.The report also showed that more than 280,000 workers, or approximately 13 % of the total workforce in the private sector, had their basic wages increased to the minimum, when the minimum wage law came into force in March 2021.The ILO report pointed to the establishment of a national platform for reporting accidents, based on the pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Health Strategy, where data collection, analysis and dissemination remain a top priority, and it is expected that the platform will be fully operational by mid-2023.The report said that the Ministry of Labour and the ILO continued to implement campaigns throughout 2022 to raise awareness about the prevention of injuries among workers and employers, explaining in this regard that 19,978 worksites/facilities and 3,406 housing units, were inspected by an inspection department at the Ministry of Labour.Qatar has not said that it has reached the end of what is concerned with labour sector reforms, as the Ministry of Labour has always emphasized that the comprehensive reform process is a long-term process, and that changing the behavior of all companies requires more time, and all of this represents a strict message to all concerned that the country will never tolerate any offense Hence, Qatar affirms its commitment to cooperate constructively with its international partners and its critics at the same time, in order to further advance labour standards for all expatriate workers working on its territory, and that it will continue to consult with international experts, including the ILO and trade unions, in addition to periodically consulting with non-governmental organizations to hear their recommendations in this regard.Therefore, Qatar took the initiative to open the door to dialogue and communication with all concerned with this issue on the widest scale.Doha has become a meeting place for them to visit and meet with whoever they want from the three parties to work (governments, employers, and workers) without restrictions and obstacles, to convey the truth to the world.This was confirmed by the HE Minister of Labour Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, when he met in Doha with Their Excellencies the ambassadors of Western countries and labour-sending countries.HE noted that Qatar is one of the few countries that has opened its doors to all international organizations to see the pioneering experiences in improving labour legislation and its implementation mechanisms, stressing the continuation of the policy of openness to all international organizations interested in the labour sector.