The measures adopted by Qatar recently in the field of labour reforms reflect the country’s keenness to protect the rights of expatriate workers and ensure a healthy relationship between employers and employees.
Qatar has adopted extensive reforms to protect the rights of workers, including the law regulating the entry and exit of expatriates, and introduced legislative amendments to the labour law, which ensure a fair and transparent work contract based on mutual consent and preserve the rights of employers and workers.
The government has also established a fund to support and secure migrant workers and ensure payment of their dues ordered by the committees to resolve labour disputes.
This is indicative of the country’s keenness to provide a conducive environment for expatriate workers and a strong and stable labour market.
Last month, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had issued Law No 13 of 2018, amending certain provisions of Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates, which allows expatriate workers covered under the Labour Law to leave the country temporarily or for good without any exit permit within the work contract duration. The new law will come into effect on October 28.
Additionally, Qatar has contracted an international service provider, Biomat of Singapore, to implement a pilot project to provide integrated services through a unified channel to complete fingerprinting, medical services for expatriates, as well as the signing of employment contracts outside the country, where all these services will be provided at a centre called “Qatar Visa Centre”.
The International Labour Organisation has been appointed as a consultant to the project, in order to provide greater protection for the rights of migrant workers.
Such policies and legislative reforms will ensure decent working environment for both citizens and expatriates in order to achieve the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The reforms have received praise from international organisations concerned with labour, trade union institutions, and human rights bodies.
On Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer of Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), John Morrison, expressed his appreciation of Qatar’s achievements in the field of protecting labour rights. Speaking at a workshop in Doha, he noted that Qatar has made real progress on the issue over the past two years. He highlighted the fact that the International Labour Organisation opened a new office in Qatar earlier this year, which he said reflects the good intentions of the country when it comes to enhancing workers’ rights.
The adoption of reforms relating to the rights of expatriate workers has made Qatar a role model for other countries in the region. It debunks all the unfair campaigns aimed at tarnishing the fair image of Qatar in the field of workers’ rights.
Qatar’s commitment and keenness to guarantee and protect the rights of expatriate workers are praiseworthy. The state regards expatriate workers as its partners in the urban renaissance being witnessed in various fields and an integral part of the fabric of the Qatari society.
viewpoint
