Qatar must act urgently to resolve labor rights abuses
Overcrowding and “unbelievably bad” conditions such as flooded bathrooms, dilapidated kitchens and workers sharing beds and/or sleeping on the floor are among some of observations labor activists made during visits to accommodation sites in Qatar this week.
"It was not a pretty sight," said Atle Høie, international secretary of Norway-based trade union Fellesforbundet. Høie was one of 16 members of the Building and Wood Workers’ International who were in Qatar this week to investigate the living and working conditions of migrant workers.
BWI officials, comprised of delegates from nine European nations and two Asian ones, were invited to the country by Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (QNHRC), which also organized many parts of the visit.
However, Høie and some of his colleagues also met with migrant laborers on their own and toured several labor camps, the specific locations of which he told Doha News he could not recall.
The visit comes as Qatar is in the international spotlight because it is hosting the 2022 World Cup tournament.
Read more: http://dohanews.co/post/63644969534/qatar-must-act-urgently-to-resolve-l...
To remedy the situation, he called on Qatar to amend its restrictive kafala (sponsorship) system, which ties employees to their sponsors, whose approval must be sought to buy a car, change jobs or even leave the country for vacation.
He concluded by saying:
"Let’s start doing what’s necessary and then do what’s possible. Then, I’m sure we can do the impossible and the whole world will applaud us."
Read more: http://dohanews.co/post/63632886623/i-think-we-need-to-seriously-think-of-abolishing#ixzz2hLQE3R2B
Wake up call for the authorities, if the other workers has a freedom to choose about their work, these employers would offer or treat our fellow expats as a human being. mostly the management doesn't care about the situation of their workers especially in the construction.