2022 FIFA World Cup Host Approves Reforms for Migrant Workers

(ATR) The conditions for migrant workers in Qatar that have come under worldwide scrutiny this year may be improving.

The Qatari government has approved measures to improve the treatment of foreign workers, which would include those working on 2022 FIFA World Cup venues.

The measures, announced Sunday, include requiring companies to set up bank accounts for workers and pay wages electronically and banning mid-day outdoor work in the scorching summer heat.

"We know there is much more to do, but we are making definite progress," said Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s minister of labour and social affairs.

In recent months, the issue became magnified as media reports emerged underscoring the number of Nepalese workers who had died in the country. The deaths were linked to poor working conditions including long hours and lack of access to food and water.

On the issue of wages, companies will be required to pay employees within seven days of their due date or face a sanction. Outdoor work between 11:30am and 3:00pm during the summer season of mid-June to late August is banned as well.

The Qatari government will also set up an electronic complaint system and is building accommodations for up to 150,000 workers.

Among other actions by the government are work on proposed reforms to the kafala system of tied employment and the limiting of agents who recruit and exploit foreign workers.

Under the kafala system, workers become tied to the company which employs them and are unable to change jobs without permission.

Khulaifi hopes the changes "will replace the kafala system with a modern contract between worker and employer".

Written by Nick Devlin.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.