they complied with requirements of the labour law, including giving a notice period
and paying outstanding benefits.
The report highlights a number of companies that exploited or ignored this
directive. Up to 2,000 workers employed by one construction company were laid off
on the spot, workers claim. Most did not receive their outstanding salary or end of
service settlement, a payment equivalent to three weeks’ salary for each full year of
work.
“Many migrant workers are in an extremely vulnerable position
with no real ability to assert their rights or seek remedy for
violations,” says the report.
Qatar's migrant
workers beg for food
as Covid 19
infections rise
Read more
Mustafa Qadri, the director of Equidem, said the lack of a lawful
right to organise or join a trade union has been particularly
damaging. “It has prevented workers from having a seat at the
table with government and employers to negotiate an equitable
share of funds,” he said.
The report describes similar findings in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia,
as well as policies in response to the pandemic which amount to racial
discrimination. In both countries, the authorities required private companies to
continue to provide wages and benefits to nationals, but allowed them to reduce
wages or stop paying non-nationals.
In a statement, the Qatar government said its response to the pandemic, “has been
driven by the highest international standards of public health policy and the
protection of human rights”.
The government has provided free testing and treatment and said, “employers
failing to pay their staff on time or withholding end of service payments have faced
disciplinary action, including heavy fines and bans that prevent them from
operating”.
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