黑洞社区

The Qatari government has been urged to mandate 60-day payment periods by contractors to suppliers on public projects, as part of a raft of proposals to improve pay and conditions for the country鈥檚 1.4 million-strong migrant workforce.

The proposal is contained in a hard-hitting report by law firm DLA Piper on migrant workers鈥� living and working conditions, commissioned by the Qatari government in the wake of press revelations of almost 1,000 construction worker deaths in two years.

Labour law reforms are likely to have wide-reaching consequences for construction firms working in Qatar, many of which are based in the UK.

The Qatari government is under pressure to act as it begins construction of 拢4bn-worth of venues and infrastructure to host the 2022 World Cup.

DLA Piper鈥檚 60 proposals include reform of the country鈥檚 鈥榢afala鈥� sponsorship system to end restrictions tying workers to specific employers, phasing out the exit visa system that requires workers to gain a visa to leave the country and adoption of a minimum wage.

The 135-page report, seen by 黑洞社区, also recommends imposing civil and criminal liability on contractors for health and safety breaches, enforcing 鈥榟umane鈥� worker conditions in all construction contracts, ramping up health and safety inspections, investigating migrant worker fatalities and publishing a list of contractors that fail to uphold standards.

The Qatari government responded to the report last week by announcing that it intends to reform its labour laws and adopt many of the report鈥檚 proposals, including reforming kafala, but critics said the implementation and timing of the reforms is unclear, as is the nature of the system that will replace existing practices.

Nicholas McGeehan, Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch, told 黑洞社区: 鈥淲e expected the DLA Piper report to be published and for the government to accept the recommendations.

鈥淚t has announced it will adopt some, but in other areas it hasn鈥檛 gone nearly as far [as DLA Piper].鈥�

McGeehan criticised the Qatari government for announcing it will relax its exit visa system by restricting the approval process to no longer than 72 hours, rather than abolishing it, as well as for proposing only to allow employees to switch employers after five years.

He also called for the government to immediately launch a 鈥渃omprehensive investigation鈥� into migrant worker fatalities, after the report showed that, according to the Qatari government鈥檚 own figures, 964 migrants died on construction sites in 2012 and 2013.

McGeehan said he was 鈥渉opeful more reforms and details will come [鈥� particularly as there鈥檚] a lot of leverage with the World Cup鈥�, but warned 鈥渢he level of local resistance to labour reforms could be a barrier鈥�.