AlKass Digital
Doha, Qatar- Contractors associated with the Supreme Committee of Delivery & Legacy (SC), who are involved with the 2022 FIFA World Cup projects, have agreed to reimburse more than QAR 52.5 million ($14.4m) to workers, who had paid recruitment fees prior to moving to Qatar.
The move is part of the ongoing labour reforms in Qatar. “No worker should bear the cost of recruitment fees; that cost should be borne by the contractor,” said Mahmoud Qutub, Workers’ Welfare Executive Director at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC).
He was speaking at the ‘Labour Law Reforms in Qatar: Challenges and Opportunities for Business’ conference, which was organised by the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, here on Sunday.
Joining Qutub on the panel were Abdulla Y Al Mulla, from Qatar Insurance Company, Fahad Zainal, from Qatar Financial Centre, and Shaikha Amal Al Thani, from Qatar Foundation. The panel was moderated by Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Director of Legal, Qatar Chamber.
Speaking further on the issue or the recruitment fee, Qutub stated that many workers were forced to pay recruitment fees in their home countries before moving to Qatar, despite the practice being illegal under Qatari law.
“We engage with contractors to help them understand the benefit of reimbursing workers and to reiterate it is simply the right thing to do.”
“We collaborate with contractors who share our vision and who want to be part of the journey towards 2022. We need them to understand how much workers may have to pay out of their own pocket and why this process is so important,” he said during the panel discussion on ‘Promising Initiatives and Practices in Qatar’.
In keeping with the labour reforms in Qatar, the Supreme Committee is engaged in give the workers their due and curtailing unethical recruitment practices.
The project that began in late 2017 is expected to help the workers directly involved in 2022 FIFA World Cup projects receive QAR 39.4 million ($10.8m) over the next three years. That apart, five SC contractors have agreed to reimburse more than 8,000 workers not engaged in the World Cup projects; the move will account for QAR 13 million ($3.6m) of payments. In total, QAR 52.5M ($14.4m) will be reimbursed to workers.
Qutub stressed on the point that the move was part of the ‘legacy project’ and that it is already having an impact on a global scale.
“The impact in a very short space of time has been dramatic. We have gone from the uncertainty of trying to tackle a complex global issue, to engaging in open dialogue with contractors that has benefitted more than a third of our workforce. This is the legacy of a World Cup in action,” he said.
The two-day conference, on at the Sheraton Doha, was inaugurated by by H.E. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman, Qatar Chamber, and H.E. Dr Issa Bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.