DOHA, 21 May 2004 — Emir Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al-Thani has issued a law allowing workers the right to form trade unions and go on strike in Qatar, an official said yesterday.
The new labor law, which will come into force in six months, allows workers to set up unions within the establishments in which they work, unions grouping members of the profession, and a trade union of Qatari workers, Housing and Civil Affairs Minister Sheikh Falah ibn Jassem Al-Thani said.
It also introduces “the right to go on strike when amicable settlements cannot be reached between employees and employers,” he said.
The law bans employing teenagers aged under 16, sets the working day at eight hours and grants women equal rights with men, in addition to a paid 50-day maternity leave.
The new law comes just a week after the Sheikh Hamad allowed the formation of professional associations for the first time in the country.
