Abuse of Migrant Workers in Qatar

Since Qatar was awarded the right to host the World Cup, exploitation and abuse of migrant workers has been rampant, with workers exposed to forced labour, unpaid wages and excessive working hours.

Qatar’s labour reforms regarding the payment of wages to migrant workers have largely proven unsuccessful. Salary abuses remain commonplace and “employers across Qatar frequently violate workers’ right to wages”. Workers are trapped in situations of abusive working conditions and fear reprisal for speaking out.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) conducted interviews with 93 migrant workers, employed by more than 60 companies or employers. Evidence gathered from the workers demonstrates that:

59/93 (63%) workers stated their wages had been delayed, withheld or not paid

55/93 (59%) were not paid for overtime, despite working more than ten hours per day

13/93 (14%) stated their employer had replaced their initial contract with one favouring the employer.

HRW found two main factors facilitating abuse of migrant workers: the continued existence of the kafala system affords employers “unchecked power and control over migrant workers”, and deceptive recruitment practices in home countries and Qatar mean workers are burdened by debt they cannot pay off when their pay is lower than promised. Both of these factors lead to workers trapped in abusive conditions.

Complex business relationships and payment delays between subcontractors and labour providers, contractors and subcontractors, and clients (often government bodies) and contractors mean that payments to migrant workers on project sites are frequently delayed because of obstructions further up the value chain.

The report highlights that whilst the Qatar Government has introduced “piece-meal” reforms in recent years, shortfalls in the Wage Protection System (WPS) mean that the current system “in reality, does little to protect wages, and at best, can be better described as a wage monitoring system with significant gaps in its oversight capacity”. 

The report also finds that workers did not have confidence in Labour Dispute Resolution Committees, established to shorten the time taken to resolve labour disputes. 14 out of the 15 workers who had taken their case to the Committees had yet to be paid owed wages, despite the Government establishing a Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund to protect wages.