黑洞社区

Migrant workers building a stadium to host the semi final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup have faced systemic abuses, including cases of forced labour, a hard-hitting report by Amnesty International alleges.

Based on interviews with 132 construction workers on the redevelopment of Doha鈥檚 Khalifa International Stadium, Amnesty claims it has uncovered instances of abuse with all of these workers.

Some of the abuses alleged included substandard and overcrowded accommodation, delays in payment of salaries, deception by recruitment firms, retention of passports and failure to provide or renew residence permits.

Amnesty also alleged it encountered cases it believes amount to forced labour, where labourers were allegedly coerced into working by threats of non-payment of wages, deportation, or not being allowed to leave Qatar.

In a statement, the organisation responsible for delivering 2022 World Cup projects, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said it was 鈥渃ommitted to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of every worker鈥�.

The committee said the conditions identified by Amnesty were 鈥渘ot representative鈥� of the whole workforce on the Khalifa project and many of the issues raised by Amnesty had been addressed by June 2015, after the bulk of Amnesty鈥檚 research had taken place.

Construction firms need to be aware of where the risk sits, and the urgency and priority there should be to get the right processes in place

James Lynch, Amnesty International

The committee鈥檚 statement also said that the two labour subcontractors identified in Amnesty鈥檚 report 鈥� Seven Hills and Blue Bay 鈥� stopped working on the project last June and 鈥渁re no longer eligible to work on future projects, until they demonstrate they are compliant with our Workers鈥� Welfare Standards鈥�.

The committee said a third firm, Eversandai, had 鈥済one through a significant rectification process鈥� but was nonetheless 鈥渂anned from subsequent FIFA World Cup projects until they can demonstrate sustainable improvements鈥�.

No UK firms are directly involved in delivering the Khalifa stadium project, but James Lynch, deputy director at Amnesty, told 黑洞社区 the report should serve as a warning to UK firms involved in other 2022 World Cup projects, or considering bidding for work on the scheme.

Lynch noted that most abuses happen at the level of labour subcontractors, but firms all the way up the supply chain should take responsibility for mitigating these risks: 鈥淐onstruction firms need to be aware of where the risk sits, and the urgency and priority there should be to get the right processes in place to identify potential abuses and how to mitigate this.鈥�

In 2014 the Supreme Committee introduced a stringent Workers鈥� Welfare Standards charter, which all firms working on World Cup projects are obliged to abide by.

Originally built as a 20,000-seater stadium in 1976, Khalifa International Stadium is being extended to fit 40,000 spectators for the World Cup.

We are aware of the opportunity our work in Qatar represents to facilitate the improvement of working conditions in the country

BeSix spokesperson

The project is being delivered by a Qatari-Belgian contracting joint venture between Midmac and Six Construct (part of BeSix) for client the Aspire Zone Foundation, which in turn works for the Supreme Committee.

Eversendai Qatar, a subsidiary of Malaysian company Eversendai, is employed on site to carry out specific elements of the refurbishment. A number of labour supply companies are also employed on site to provide workers 鈥� it is at this level of the supply chain where most instances of abuse occur, according to Amnesty. Midmac, Six Construct and Eversendai Qatar are not labour-only subcontractors. Amnesty did not attribute direct labour abuses to Midmac or Six Construct, but claimed abuses took place 鈥渦nder the direct supervision of Eversendai鈥� and that 24 workers employed directly by Eversandai were housed in substandard accommodation in Al Wakrah at the time they were interviewed.

In its response Eversendai said Amnesty鈥檚 allegation that a labour camp in Al Wakrah was home to Eversendai workers was 鈥渃ompletely unfounded鈥�. However, the firm said there had been 鈥渟ome shortcomings in our workers鈥� accommodation in other areas in the past鈥�, but this matter had been resolved 鈥渂y the middle of 2015鈥� and it says it is now in compliance with the Workers鈥� Welfare Standards.

Eversendai confirmed it engaged labour subcontractors Seven Hill and Blue Bay on Khalifa 鈥渇or a limited period鈥� but had 鈥渟topped dealing with both companies months before [Amnesty鈥檚 report]鈥�. Eversendai says it engages direct labour 鈥渨herever possible鈥� and will 鈥渁pply the best practices in health, safety and worker welfare standards across our projects鈥�.

The Supreme Committee said 40 companies are currently engaged at Khalifa and that Amnesty鈥檚 research was not representative.

In a statement BeSix said it had itself identified welfare issues through its own inspections and 鈥渁cted accordingly鈥� and the situation 鈥渨as already rectified more than half a year before Amnesty International first contacted us about the matter鈥�. However, it welcomed Amnesty鈥檚 recommendations and said it would seek 鈥渢o go further than applying local rules鈥� in improving welfare.

The firm added: 鈥淲e are aware of the opportunity our work in Qatar represents to facilitate the improvement of working conditions in the country鈥�.

Aspire Zone and Midmac were unavailable for comment. But in responses issued by these organisations to Amnesty, seen by 黑洞社区, they said they were already taking steps to improve workers鈥� conditions throughout their supply chains.

Midmac said it would terminate contracts with subcontractors if it found firms that did not correct deficiencies; Aspire Zone said it would work 鈥渉and in hand鈥� with the supreme committee to launch positive labour initiatives across all World Cup projects.

The organisations criticised Amnesty for not drawing their attention to the issues sooner, as Amnesty鈥檚 research was primarily conducted in the first half of 2015.

Lynch told 黑洞社区 Amnesty required this time to verify the accounts given by the workers and to clarify the various organisations in the supply chain.

When contacted by 黑洞社区, a Seven Hills employee said the firm had worked on Khalifa for 鈥渢hree months鈥� and described Amnesty鈥檚 findings as 鈥渁ll fake鈥�. Blue Bay was unavailable for comment.

Amnesty once again called on Qatar to end its 鈥淜afala鈥� sponsorship system, under which migrant workers must obtain their employer鈥檚 permission to change jobs or leave the country 鈥� a system it argues lays workers open to abuse.