Qatar's Ministry of Interior has reiterated its keenness to guarantee and protect the rights of expatriate workers.
The ministry also reiterated its commitment to take care of the requirements of expatriates on such issues as refusal on the part of their employers to grant them permission to leave the country.
Senior officials of the Expatriates’ Exit Grievances Committee of the MoI said this at a meeting of the Nepal, Filipino and Pakistani communities at the Officers Club of the General Directorate of the Civil Defence on Tuesday.
While addressing the gathering, committee chairman Brigadier Salem Saqr al-Muraikhi said their team was keen to address the needs and requirements of the expatriates through the effective delivery of its services.
This is possible only because of the excellent co-ordination between authorities of various ministries, departments and institutions, he said while informing them that the committee has been in place for more than six months and it has handled a number of complaints to the total satisfaction of all parties concerned.
Brigadier al-Muraikhi is also the director of Legal Affairs Department at the MoI. He said the MoI is committed to respecting the rights of expatriate workers and is maintaining a good balance between the employees and employers.
Rapporteur and secretary of the Committee Captain Juma Ali al-Buainain said an expatriate has the right to exit from the country on leave or an emergency or any other reason after informing his employer as per the terms and conditions of his labour contract.
An expatriate also has the right for making a final exit from the country before the expiry of the labour contract period after informing his employer, he added.
"If the recruiter or the competent authority concerned refuses to grant exit permit or refuses the permission for final leaving of the expatriate from the country, the affected person can approach and appeal to the Exit Permit Grievances Committee. The committee has to take a decision on his appeal within three working days."
Captain al-Buainain said the expatriate should make his appeal to the secretariat of the committee in its prescribed form along with documents supporting his appeal.
On receiving the complaint the officer concerned at the secretariat of the committee will register it and the expatriate will receive a notification with a grievance number and date of appeal.
Lt Colonel Mohamed Ali al-Kubaisi of the Human Rights Department, Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs; Saleh Rashid al-Kuwari and Nayef Musabih al-Shammari of the National Human Rights Committee were also present at the meeting.
