Qatar 2022 Organisers unveil plans to protect workers

A ‘Worker’s Charter’ has been published by the organizers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to protect the rights of Migrant employees.

After the report suggesting death of 200 Nepalese men last year due to workloads in construction projects in Qatar, a 50-page document was developed by the International Labor Organization.

The document, entitled ‘Workers’Welfaare Standards, details the measures that the governing body plan to enact while dealing with the contractors over infrastructure works. The supreme committee, said its principles will be “robustly and effectively monitored and enforced for the benefit of all workers”.

However the proposals will not go far enough, according to the International Trade Union Confederation. General Secy of IUTC added, “These standards are built on an old, discredited self-monitoring system which has failed in the past in Bangladesh and other countries where thousands of workers have died.” According to IUTC, if the current laws and attitudes persist the death toll could rise to 4,000 and labelled new charter as ‘A sham’ which will not protect workers’ rights.

However, the supreme committee believes the charter will help in the betterment of status and claims the principles will be,”robustly and effectively monitored and enforced for the benefit of all workers”

Among the charters, the workers will be enforced for following points:

• Workers’ will be provided a telephone hotline to report concerns and raise grievances.

• 8-hour a day work with 48-hour working week should have a three weeks’ paid annual holiday.

• A welfare officer post should be created ad worker should be guaranteed a rest day.

The secretary of the Supreme Committee of the world cup, Hassan Al-Thawadi insisted that the tournament will not be built on ‘blood of innocents’.

A senior member of Fifa’s executive committee, Theo Zwanziger, is also expected to deliver an update on Qatar’s planned reforms at the hearing in Brussels.