About QR19mn will be paid to workers building stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar over the next two years as compensation for recruitment and hardship fees which may have been paid in the past.
Driven by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) – the organisation responsible for delivering tournament infrastructure for the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East – a number of contractors working on SC projects will reimburse workers as part of a ‘Universal Payment’ system, an announcement posted on the SC website said.
The SC Workers’ Welfare Standards (WWS), the principles enshrined in all contracts relating to World Cup projects, prohibit the charging of recruitment fees. Many of the SC’s contractors employ legacy workers – hired before the introduction of the WWS – which the Universal Payment initiative is designed to address.
The ground-breaking steps to tackle the issue of recruitment fees has been reflected in the SC’s Third Annual Progress Report.
Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the SC, said: “The significance to reimburse workers who paid recruitment fees should not be underestimated. Unethical recruitment is a global issue and an area many countries all over the world struggle to manage. All too often, the very people who have left their homes to provide for their families are the ones exploited.
“We have been steadfast in our belief that this World Cup can be a catalyst for change, both in Qatar and in other parts of the world. Recruitment fees is a hugely complex issue, yet the SC and several of our contractors have agreed on a mechanism to ensure that our workers are reimbursed for the hardships they may have endured when coming to Qatar to work.”
Four main contractors and two other contracted parties (OCPs) have made commitments towards this initiative.
