Legacy contribution to labour rights in Qatar
Initiative description: Continuing to play a pivotal role in contributing to the technical cooperation programme between Qatar and the ILO to ensure compliance with relevant international labour standards and achieve fundamental principles and rights at work in Qatar.
Labour reforms
Supported by the Technical Cooperation Programme of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the government of Qatar announced additional labour rights reforms and passed several items of related legislation. These included provisions that set a non-discriminatory minimum wage of QAR 1,000 per month, and QAR 1,800 per month where the employer did not provide food or accommodation. This law applied to all workers, including domestic workers. To prevent delays in workers’ salaries and to ensure that workers are paid as per their employment agreement, a mechanism called the Wage Protection System (WPS) has been operational since 2015, whereby companies are required to transfer the salaries of all employees through an electronic system to the employees’ accounts in one of the country’s recognised financial institutions. Additionally, the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund was established to ensure that workers receive their wages in cases where their employers are unwilling or unable to pay on time. The government reported that, by July 2023, a total of USD 350 million had been paid to workers through the fund.
Furthermore, the requirement for workers to provide a no-objection certificate (NOC) from their employer to terminate their contracts was abolished, enabling workers to change employers after a reasonable notice period. The exit permit requirements were also abolished for all workers, allowing them to leave the country, either temporarily or permanently, without permission from their employers.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Workers’ Welfare Department (WWD) also worked in close collaboration with Qatar’s Ministry of Labour (MoL) to support the wider labour reform process in the country, providing input through its representation in several committees associated with the ILO’s mandate. In addition, the SC partnered with the MoL and ILO to facilitate exchange and learning. For example, representatives from the MoL and ILO attended the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Forum elections to study its structure and impact, which influenced the development of joint worker-employer committees across Qatar.
The SC WWD is also in discussion with the MoL on how the lessons learned from the Universal Reimbursement Programme can inform wider practice of recruitment fee reimbursement in the country.
There is also ongoing discussion on the wider implementation of the SC’s comprehensive medical screening programme that would serve to enhance the existing medical processes in place at Qatar visa centres in workers' home countries.
Heat stress mitigation
The SC WWD also collaborated with the MoL and ILO on a study investigating heat stress and mitigation measures in 2019. The research examined the heat stress management plan at the construction site of a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadium. The study found that one of the key reasons why stadium construction workers were at low risk of occupational heat strain was because they were empowered to self-pace and take breaks as part of the heat stress management plan. The research also found that the StayQool suits deployed by the SC effectively reduced heat strain. For more information about the StayQool suits, please visit the engagement to enhance of workers’ welfare web page of this report.
Following recommendations from the study, legislation in Qatar (Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021) was implemented to further limit summertime working hours, with work not being allowed from 10:00 to 15:30 in outdoor spaces from 1 June to 15 September, in comparison to previous legislation, where these times were 11:30 to 15:00 from 15 June to 31 August. This is important legislation that will continue to provide workers with greater protection from heat stress beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The study also specified other measures to protect workers from heat stress, such as annual specialised heat stress training to all workers before the beginning of summer (May), annual health checks, appropriate personal protective equipment and the adoption of the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index as a reference to stop work in case the WBGT index rises beyond 32.1°C.
FIFA's contribution to labour reforms and its Legacy Fund
In addition to the more operational support provided by the SC WWD to the labour reform process, FIFA’s leadership regularly engaged with the country’s leadership on the labour reform process. As part of this, FIFA encouraged the government of Qatar to implement the reform process in line with the Technical Cooperation Programme with the ILO and also voiced support for specific topics and projects, such as the strengthening of international union presence in Qatar, or the strengthening of systems through which workers could receive remediation in situations of harm.
FIFA has also committed to investing funds from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Legacy Fund for the benefit of workers involved in FIFA competitions globally. In that respect, FIFA is working closely with the ILO to establish a more detailed programme. The FIFA Sub-Committee for Human Rights and Social Responsibility is currently assessing the work accomplished by FIFA in relation to access to remedy and making respective recommendations as appropriate, including on how tournament legacy funds can become another piece in the wider efforts around remedy in the context of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.