Ministry says labour reforms benefit thousands of workers
Qatar is keen and always stresses that a safe and healthy work environment is a necessity, and that safety of workers is a priority.
Qatar’s efforts in this regard are not exerted to satisfy a particular party, states, individuals or organisations, but are based on a religious, moral, humanitarian and constitutional standpoint, and in accordance with the authentic customs and traditions of its people, as well as their civilisational values of hospitality.
Under the directives of its wise leadership, and before winning the honour of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the state was keen to enact a lot of legislation and laws and carry out extensive reforms in the labour environment, in line with the highest standards in the international labour sector.
There is no doubt that the pace of these efforts has increased and witnessed reforms, and the labour market has witnessed many positive changes, that were praised by all concerned parties, especially the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which opened its office in Doha.
The labour reforms in Qatar have benefited hundreds of thousands of expatriate workers.
The ILO revealed in a report issued this month about the great shift that the Qatari labour market has witnessed in the past few years, after the legislation adopted by the government to reform the labour sector took effect.
Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs HE Mohamed Hassan al-Obaidli said in a statement to QNA that the technical co-operation with the ILO in previous years came at the request of Qatar, noting that the joint programmes and projects have enhanced opportunities to benefit from international experiences and apply global standards in the labour sector.
He said Qatar has become a role model in the region in the field of labour, and it will start showing its distinguished initiatives at the Asian labour ministers conference to be held at the end of this year in Singapore. Al-Obaidli hailed the commitment of Qatari employers and companies to labour laws and legislation, noting the active role and positive participation of Qatar Chamber and its participation in the implementation of many pioneering programmes and projects to develop the labour environment, with technical co-operation with the ILO.
He pointed out that Qatar has always believed in constructive dialogue, co-operation and co-ordination with various international and human rights organisations, in the interest of the country’s labour market, adding that laws and reforms that have been implemented come within the development strategy and in implementation of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Very few labour complaints have been received by the ministry, compared to the number of workers in the country, he said, noting that about 89% of workers in the country have benefited from the labour laws and legislation, according to a survey conducted by the institute of research and studies at Qatar University.
The National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT), headed by HE the Minister of Labour and Chairman of the Committee Dr Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri, plays an important role in enhancing protection and support for victims of trafficking, and co-operation between related parties. According to the ILO report, 86% of workers confirmed that the reforms had a positive impact on their lives, according to a survey commissioned in May and June 2022 among 1,036 low-paid workers and residing in shared accommodation sites. The workers were of multiple nationalities working in various economic sectors.