Qatar delegation says worker conditions not improving

Conditions for migrant construction workers in Qatar show no signs of improvement despite the spotlight on the issue, a union-led delegation in the country has said.

Three years on from Qatar winning its 2022 World Cup bid, the delegation, led by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and involving the UK’s GMB union, visited Qatar over the weekend with the ITUC repeating its claim that 4,000 more workers could die constructing the venues and infrastructure for the event.

General secretary of the ITUC Sharan Burrow said international companies working on World Cup infrastructure “should be on notice about the reputation risk of doing in business in Qatar without respect for workers’ rights.”

The Qatari authorities insist they are being proactive with major quasi-governmental client the Qatar Foundation introducing a code of conduct for workers which could be rolled out across Qatar.

Burrow said international pressure is growing with governments, human rights organisations and FIFA all calling for fundamental workers’ rights and an end to the Kafala system, which puts the employer in a position of enormous power and the employee sometimes unable to leave their job or the country.

“This is an easy choice for the Qatari government; the perplexing question is why won’t they take it,” she said.

“Professional and poor workers alike tell the same stories; they came to Qatar with optimism and good will, only to face despair when their employer decides they are disposable and refuse to pay wages, sack them without benefits and or refused to sign their exit permit.

“We have again offered support for change, but the government must make a commitment.

“What we’ve seen his week can be summarized as how not to design a system for the global workforce on any basis.”

The delegation will report back to the UK and other European governments as well as the International Labour Organisation, FIFA and the UN Human Rights Rapporteur.