Human Rights info available to all
NHRC hotline gets good response from expats
Web posted at: 8/24/2007 3:9:12
Source ::: The Peninsula
Sent to me by the Mitery Club re: Recent publication in Gulf Times.
DOHA • The hotline service set up by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) last week has received a good response from expatriate workers who have disputes with their employers.
The service is available through mobile No. 6626663. Majority of the calls received over the past week were from people who needed urgent solution to their problems, said Al Sharq quoting an NHRC source.
Most of the callers didn't know where to go and whom to approach to solve their problems. They were seeking advice on this matter and the hotline was successful in providing the information, the sources said.
This shows a lack of awareness among the lowly-paid expatriate workers on the procedures they have to go through when they face a dispute with their employers. There is an urgent need to educate people in this regard as well as on the legal and social aspects of the issue, the supervisor of the hotline service was quoted as saying.
The sources also noted that majority of the cases they encountered were of an urgent nature, which can not wait for the legal formalities and to be settled by a court.
I want to help my close friend who just arrived for vacation but instead of happy vacation , it was terrible vacation for my friend as he is sharing his problems with tears...after that for almost a month my friend did not go to work but when he came here in Qatar , my friend went to their company assuming that he can work properly but unfortunately, he cannot as he is sharing to me that his mind is nothing and outside the world and want to end his life but , now he went bak in normal and he went to his company , make a letter what happen with apologies, but as my friend said seems his sponsor which is Qatari will not accept him anymore instead he would be put on jail because of AWOL?
Please help me find my hard heartened Sponsor WADEY-L-UYUN that keep insulting and refuses to pik calls. My RP had due since 2months ago and i have been trying contact him sine then. he has this confidence because i was told that he is a police officer and he claimed no one can onfront him,i will e glad to know if anyody has an information aout these company. My new ompany had given me till saturday or else my appointment will be terminated. please contact 77338552 if you find me a useful information because i am now in a state of penury
Thanks for the information which i already know.
Mustafa,
A loan is not a game, or a life facilitator, it makes a person's life harder.
YOU got a loan, YOU need to settle it. It's not their problem. It's YOUR problem.
Bleu can you ellaborate please? How is that i do not have the right to get my exit permit when the bank has terminated me? i mean they have surely to check my liabilities before they terminate a staff , i dont have money to pay it off?? in this case i would be strandered in doha for my lifetime?
Looked at your profile, you work at the bank, and took a loan.
Your employer is not forced to give you NOC, or exit permit (especially if you owe them money).
You have an unsettled loan. It's your problem to settle it.
NEWS FLASH: QATAR IS NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, YOU COULD PROBABLY FIND WORK ELSEWHERE...
Qatari -most of the companies here in doha need NOC to provide work!!!
I just didn't understand why "Bank does not provide you NOC to work anywhere"? Didn't get it. Why do you need a NOC from the bank to work somewhere else? Find another job and keep paying your loan off..
Mustafa,
Remember your first paragraph "I took Personal Loan of 90.000/-.".
You owe the bank that money no matter what. Sorry, it's a fact of life.
I took Personal Loan of 90.000/-.
Paid off 47,000, rest is still outstanding
My Company has terminated me due to the downsizing.
Bank does not provide me NOC to work anywhere i have to leave the country and i am not able to work anywere else as i have to pay the rest of the money back.
its 3 months i have been strandered without job ,can a institution like bank do such kind of a thing???? my family is completely dependant on me .
My mother is old and terrribly sick back in hometown and i have 2 little brothers goin to school.
can somebody actually show some mercy ??
should i go to capital police and report this?as my family back home is sufferring terrribly on this.
Advise please.
pclowen: are you assuming that or asre these facts?
As as someone mentioned, they can give small pamphlets, cards explaining some basic rights, contacts etc. If not possible, at least they can put some sort of banner/advertisements about their numbers/website and other relevant contacts so that people can note it down when they arrive at airport- that is very effective way. Of course it will be much better if they were taught in their home country.
The real problem is that it should be available to them in their own country, but this is probably too much to ask!!
But yes, they need something to give them an indication of their rights, and also contact numbers in case of a violation of those rights.
Angelwings
If the grass is greener on the other side, its sure the water bill is higher !
perhaps they should print out important flyers that should be given to all expats when arriving at the airport (or at least the workers)
__________________________
I Love Qatar - http://www.iloveqatar.net
What concerns me somewhat is how genuine the Hman Rights Commission is when looking at workers rights versus the the rights of employers in particular powerful interests. Some of the members of the Human Rights Commission own labour camps and expect some have servants for whom they havent taken basic health cards out for.
Its not just workers that require education but every Qatari household.The HR commission needs to establish employment advocates and ins[ectrors ( or at least the MOI) to ensure basic compliance. Arriving new workers should at least have their health card fee ( a huge QR100) paid for by the employer as part of the immigration process not later or never as at now. With the introduction of user pays at the HMC if you have no card, and no enforcement of employers getting the cards I see hundreds of workers each week relying on charity for health care.
Lanfere, Doha
I would have thought the first help these people would need, would have been an interpreter friend, to clearly communicate their concerns. But based on the number of calls received, as you report, some of them at least, have crossed that bridge. Keep up the good work!