By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter

Pseudo companies and sham sub-contractors are one of the main causes of abuse of labourers or labour law violations in the country, many members of the local community have stressed.
“Sometimes the Qatari partner is only a façade for the company to process its legal requirements for licensing and permits, while in practice the foreign party is in charge of everything and when anything goes wrong, the Qatari is normally held accountable,” pointed out a local man while participating in the popular Wataniya al Habib Sabah al-Khair (Good Morning My Beloved Country) programme broadcast by Qatar Radio.
He said that it has been accepted by the Qatari society that foreign workers are partners in the development and progress of the country and their efforts should be respected and appreciated accordingly.
The man, who identified himself as Abu Mohamed, further stressed that labourers have an intrinsic right to decent and well-equipped accommodation in particular.
However, many residents are still complaining of the continued existence of labourer’s accommodations in some family residential areas, especially when it comes to units that house a large number of construction workers.
“The problem is that the employers overcrowd the designated house with a large number of workers from different nationalities. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, it becomes a great nuisance for the inhabitants as they come and go. Besides, most of the workers come from different cultural backgrounds, giving room for unbecoming practices,” complained a Qatari woman.
In the meantime, Engineer Jassim al-Malki, vice-chairman of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) described the situation as temporary and said it was the outcome of the  unprecedented construction boom and the huge projects being implemented in the country.
He was of the opinion that people have to bear with this and the issue has to be dealt with flexibility, as it is certainly a matter of time.
A huge project by Barwa Real Estate Company for housing single workers is being developed  at the Industrial Area, behind the Mowasalat (Karwa)  Company headquarters. Work there is progressing well and  it is expected to provide decent housing for up to 50,000 people with all the necessary facilities.
The project focuses on providing single  workers with enough space  and comply with the recommended international standards in this respect.
Similarly, the Grand Mall that was recently opened in the adjacent Wet End Park (WEP) Project has proved to be a great relief for the inhabitants of the Industrial Area.
“It is an excellent place for shopping and meeting friends or just walking around without having to go all the way to downtown Doha. It is only a walking distance from many of our accommodation,” said an Asian worker.
WEP covers an area of around 671,000sqm, and provides various entertainment and recreational facilities. The project targets low and middle-income workers.