His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday issued Law No 13 of 2018, amending certain provisions of Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates.
The new legislation “marks a significant step in upholding the fundamental rights of migrant workers in Qatar,” the ILO Project Office for Qatar said in a statement.
“The ILO welcomes the enactment of Law No 13, which will have a direct and positive impact on the lives of migrant workers in Qatar. This first step towards full suppression of exit permits is a clear sign of commitment by the Government of Qatar to labour reforms and a key milestone in the process. The ILO will continue to work closely with the Government of Qatar on these reforms,” said Houtan Homayounpour, head of the ILO Project Office. The new law specifies that employers may submit for approval to the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs the names of workers for whom a ‘no objection certificate’ would still be required, with a justification based on the nature of their work. The number of these workers per company shall not exceed 5% of their workforce.
A Ministerial Decree will follow outlining rules and procedures allowing the exit of workers who fall outside the Labour Law. “The adoption of this law is another step in our continued drive to provide decent work for all migrant workers in Qatar and to ensure their protection,” said HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi, according to the ILO statement.
The ILO opened the Project Office in Qatar in April to support the implementation of a comprehensive programme on working conditions and labour rights in the country. The initiative reflects the common commitment of both the Qatari government and the ILO to co-operate on ensuring compliance with ratified international labour conventions, as well as achieving fundamental principles and rights at work in Qatar in a gradual manner during the period 2018 -2020.
Meanwhile, the ITUC also lauded the new legislation issued in Qatar yesterday on removing the need to obtain exit permits for workers covered by the Labour Law. “Today marks a huge step for workers’ rights and the end of the kafala system for migrant workers in Qatar,” Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the ITUC, said in a statement.
“An estimated 1.5mn workers will now have the freedom to leave Qatar without their employer’s permission and eliminates a central part of the kafala system, which is still in place in other Gulf countries,” Burrow said. “Qatar’s next step is to change the law for domestic workers so they have the same freedom as all other workers,” she added.
Indian envoy lauds move
