Qatar will be revamping its kafala sponsorship system soon, but not just because of the upcoming 2022 World Cup. Rather, it wishes to correct errors, if there are any, as it develops itself further as a nation, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the visiting German Foreign Minister yesterday, Dr. Khalid Al Attiyah has affirmed that labor law changes are “near,” saying:
“The State of Qatar has a vision until 2030 and not just until the hosting the World Cup 2022. We are serious and if there are errors, we will correct them and that’s what we’ve done actually when we appointed an international consultant to study what is possible to develop the relationship between the employer the worker.
We have taken steps that preceded the result of the report on the improvement of the legal procedures and we are now on the process of developing the labor law and have made serious steps, including drawing near to the amendment of the law.”
According to the DLA Piper report that Al Attiyah referenced, changes were supposed to be completed by the end of May.
Changes
However, when officials announced plans to revise the current sponsorship system, they warned it would take time and have to go through the country’s Chamber of Commerce and gain approval from the Advisory (Shura) Council.
Proposed changes include making it easier for expats to leave the country and change jobs. However, they stopped short of abolishing the exit permit system and no objection certificates required to switch employers, disappointing many expats.
Al Attiyah also said that “Qatar welcomes all who want to visit the open spaces where there are large-scale projects to inspect the safety standards and criteria for dealing with the workforce in Qatar,” QNA reports.
Thoughts?
“However, they stopped short of abolishing the exit permit system and no objection certificates required to switch employers”, so nothing is changing then. No need to go through the country’s Chamber of Commerce and gain approval from the Advisory (Shura) Council as everything is remaining as was except for a name change and a slightly different mechanism that has the same outcome.
Irony is foreign minister doing the job of labor minister… This is what happens when Someone else does the job…..
“Proposed changes include making it easier for expats to leave the country and change jobs…”
The new airport will make it easier to leave is what he’s saying.
I better hold my breath again. This time I’m sure it wont be disappointed~
boooring.
And this news comes 1 day after the latest bribery allegations
…………Looks like the changes will really take a long, long time to come around… while the wait goes on and on
the “NEAR” to this people are minimum of 10 years..so better wait 10 years…oops thats 2024 right? ok then wait 8 years exactly 2022.. after world cup this country will be a ghost town if their labor law is still stupid as they are..oops if the world cup will happen in Qatar.. I hope not..
I think a new publicity photo is order for the minister.
I think I’ve found his long lost bro…..Ron Jeremy!
Off course by Doha news standards this is completely acceptable…
Or Doha news can be more tasteful in how they wish to spin stories … ie
I am curious, how do you see this story being spun?
Referring how they select their photos … Dad allows kid to starve.. Show him horse back riding.. Dude accused of stealing money from children tv channel.. Show calm and composed with Qatari kids in the background …
It’s clear from the photo that Doha News is not a great fan of the minister. It reminds me of the Fox News-selected photos of Obama or the photos CNN would pick of Bush. Never flattering.
Anyone remember when the law was changed in 2009 to allow wives to sponsor their husbands ? Anyone who tried to operationalise that will know how difficult it was to actualise, I’d be very interested to know the actual numbers… My point: even if the law is changed the beaureaucrats will subvert it and make sure it doesn’t happen.
The last time I held my breath in anticipation, I almost choked and nothing changed.
So this time, I’ll just breathe easy and say “I’ll believe it once I see it”
seeing is believing
doesnt qatar know how the rest of the world works? slavery and bonded labour are so 19th century.
It is not just the khafala system that needs to change. Couple of years ago, they deported my mother without giving any explanation. All i did was to submit an application for renewal of her visit visa for second time. Instead of rejecting the application if extension not possible, her passport was taken away from immigration by the police and i had to submit a ticket to the police and take my old aged and unhealthy mother (on wheelchair) to the airport at a given date, 6 hours before the departure time. I had to lie to my mother for the long wait that it was a busy day, just to hide the guilty feeling and not to let her feel embarrassed and bad about Qatar. This is what an expat who has lived and worked for 20+ years in this country had to undergo. A mother who came to visit her son and family was treated like a criminal. Very unfortunate and embarrassing indeed. This won’t happen to any expat in my country for sure.
I say…When the going gets tough, the tough gets going…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIxUKbV0UEM&feature=kp
i love dis hahahaha
why does dohanews.co keep deleting my msgz or not approving them?
is it okay for dohanews.co staff if a post compares the pic a high level offical representative of Qatar to a pic of a adult film star?
Depends. are you a producer?
probably your words are difficult to comprehend #kidding
this changes is the same for our salary increment. “SOON”
What is labor laws ?? Is it some sort of slave trade regulation ?? Is this a news article from the 1800’s ??? Maybe I’m hallucinating….