On Thursday, a British non-governmental organization called on the hospitality sector in Qatar to bring in thousands of additional foreign workers before the World Cup to ease their burden and prevent them from becoming victims of exploitation and abuse.
Equidem, an advisory organization specializing in human and labor rights, noted that workers in Qatar are victims of “exploitation in the context of their work and suffer human rights violations.”
This London-based organization has released its second report on the topic in a short time to denounce the housing conditions of workers in this oil-rich country which awaits four weeks of the tournament, between November 21 and December 18, more than a million. visitors.
Qatar has been repeatedly criticized for its treatment of migrant workers, particularly those working in construction.
Doha asserts that it has since made massive efforts to improve conditions for foreign workers by imposing a minimum wage – around 270 euros a month – and by banning the absolute power of some employers who have prevented their employees from leaving the country or changing jobs.
This week, FIFA noted that Qatar had put in place “an unprecedented system of measures to protect the rights and welfare of workers in a total of 159 hotels, including those that would have accommodated players’ teams.”
Equidem indicated in its report that immigrants from Bangladesh complained that they were paid less than their colleagues from Arab countries for the same job.
According to a British NGO, security guards from Kenya and other African countries have reported that they are under greater pressure compared to other nationalities to perform tasks in extremely hot conditions.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has also shown an interest in improving the working conditions of employees who come from all over the world to work in hotels in Qatar.
The International Labor Organization indicated that its office in Qatar has formed committees in 20 hotels to respond to workers’ complaints, but other institutions are expected to join them.
