Qatar spares no effort in providing expatriate manpower with all means to coexist with their diversified religions, cultures and lifestyles, as well as in protecting and promoting their rights, HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi has stressed.
Qatar is at the forefront of countries that receive large numbers of expatriate labour force every year, the Minister said at the opening session of the 4th edition of the annual Labour Welfare Conference, organised by Dar Al Sharq.
He added that the Qatari society has become a unique model for coexistence between people of different faiths and cultures.
The Minister pointed out that expatriate workers achieve mutual benefits through their appreciated efforts.
These benefits include improving the conditions of expatriate workers and their families in their countries and developing their countries’ economy through remittances which is estimated at billions of dollars annually according to the World Bank, he added.
Reaffirming Qatar’s commitment to fulfil its obligations, HE al-Nuaimi stressed that the country continues its efforts at the legislative and institutional levels to protect and promote all the rights of expatriate workers, pointing out that Qatar National Vision 2030 is devoted to the establishment of institutional arrangements to guarantee the rights and safety of expatriate workers.
HE al-Nuaimi reviewed some of the achievements made in protecting the rights of expatriate workers, noting Qatar’s keenness to launch a package of policies, legislative and procedural amendments to achieve the goal of decent work for citizens and expatriate workers alike.
HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs said that these policies and procedures will establish and promote balanced and productive work relations between the two parties based on mutual consent and transparency in the contract to preserve all the rights of both parties.
In this context, he pointed out that the abolition of Kafala system completely affirms the will and keenness of Qatar to promote and protect the rights of expatriate workers.
He said that Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates came into force during 2016.
The law abolishes the Kafala system completely not just modifying, updating or developing it.
HE Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi also said that Qatar issued several legislative and practical measures to address the issue of non-payment, or delay in payment, of wages.
He said Qatar looks forward to being an example in adopting a legal and ethical commitment in dealing with expatriate workers, which confirms its keenness to raise the standard of living of all expatriate workers.
This year’s Labour Welfare Conference is being held under the theme “Challenges and Achievements”. Representatives of a number of government entities, institutions and companies in the country, as well as representatives of a number of human rights organisations concerned with the labour participated in the conference.
The agenda of the conference includes three working sessions that concentrate on the legal achievements and procedures achieved by Qatar, the role of private institutions and the vision of the jurists on the rights of workers and what have been achieved and the “Communication is Better” initiative towards workers in Qatar managed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi at the annual Labour Welfare Conference, organised by Dar Al Sharq.
