Qatar was severely criticised by International community and International labour Organization (ILO) in relation to the labour issues including wages, working conditions, health, document confiscation and basic rights. In October 2017, Qatar committed ILO that will work on reforming the scenario.
Since then Qatar has been taking special care towards the condition of workers. Qatar has resolved to keep a check on the strict standards of worker care, developed in consultation with human rights organisations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, according to a new report.
As per a report published by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) and Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Joint Working Group (JWG) after JWG inspection of four different stadium construction sites and accommodation facilities, the stadiums that will host the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup and the workers’ accommodation in the World Cup projects are strictly adhering to the strict standards of worker care.
JWG, which was formed in 2016 as a contributor on improving labour conditions in Qatar. It met six times during 2017 and made recommendations to improve aspects of working and living conditions, such as better storage systems for workers’ harnesses, improving health record management and providing training to contractors’ medical staff.
The SC took a quick call on working on the recommendations. As per the recent report the positive steps taken as per recommendation is the well-staffed occupational health clinics and the Workers’ Welfare Forums (WWF), set up by the SC to encourage workers to speak openly about any issues they have in relation to their work or accommodation. JWG recognised the importance of free and fair discussions in the WWFs, which are the central element of the grievance mechanisms available to workers.
Apart from strengthening WWFs, BWI will focus on delivering trainings to workers for improving their communication and leadership skills. It will also have training sessions for trainers to improve the overall impact of trainings.
As on now, association of SC with BWI, has achieved considerable improvement on the conditions of workers across World Cup projects. There is a need for consistency in efforts to achieved the desired reformation that is already been checked by JWG, that will be visiting Qatar soon this year for inspection.