LONDON: Qatari authorities have ignored hundreds of migrant workers who are awaiting months of unpaid wages at two firms in the country, despite repeatedly being warned of the situation, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.
The government set up the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund in 2018 to address the persistent labor abuse allegations leveled against Qatar. However, the fund has not been used to benefit struggling workers in the two companies.
“It is disheartening that hundreds of workers in at least two companies are struggling to obtain their unpaid wages even though the Qatari government has been made aware of these abuses over and over again,” said Maham Javaid, Middle East fellow at HRW.
“The Qatari government’s failure to ensure that workers are paid underlines the disappointing gap between Qatar’s promises of reform and the reality.”
HRW informed the government earlier this year that two companies in the country were systematically underpaying employees.
Workers for the Imperial Trading and Construction Co. (ITCC) and Lalibela Cleaning & Services told investigators that they “live and work in desperate conditions.”
In response to the allegations, Qatar’s Government Communications Office said: “ITCC has been placed on the Labor Ministry’s list of banned companies, legal proceedings against the company have been launched and strict penalties have been imposed on the company.”
But workers are yet to receive the wages they are owed, and many are denied Qatari ID cards that are required to receive essential services in the country. HRW contacted both companies for comment but neither responded.
An August report by HRW revealed that wage abuse of migrant workers is prevalent across many occupations and industries in Qatar.
The report said the country “has not met its 2017 commitment to the International Labour Organization.”
As part of the investigation, HRW uncovered a repeated pattern of neglect. Local authorities and police have ignored complaints and protests by migrant workers, the organization found.
One worker told HRW that “at least 40 workers” submitted complaints to Qatar’s labor dispute committee, but were yet to be called in for a hearing.
After authorities failed to address their complaints, many workers organized strikes and protests.
Another employee said: “Police came to the protests to try to scare us to end the strikes. They say that if we put photos or videos of the protests on social media we will be jailed.”
Earlier this year, Qatar claimed that the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund was “fully operational” and had distributed more than 14 million Qatari riyals ($3.85 million) in financial compensation.
But at least 400 workers are still awaiting payments from the fund, despite Qatari law stating that labor cases must be concluded “within six weeks.”
HRW said: “Qatar should amend the fund’s terms and provide humanitarian assistance to workers while they await a labor court resolution. Additionally, the labor court needs to create avenues for workers without Qatar IDs to report wage abuse and other grievances.”
