AFP, Doha :
Qatar is considering imposing penalties against firms that fail to pay migrant workers on time, one of the biggest complaints voiced by rights groups against companies in the Gulf state.
The host of the 2022 football World Cup has come under mounting international pressure to improve conditions for migrant labourers working on projects that are to stage the event. Under draft legislation now being considered by the Qatari government, bosses who do not pay their workers on time could lose the ability to hire new staff.
The proposal would also allow the country’s labour ministry to halt “all dealings” with businesses until they pay up.
The issue was discussed by the cabinet on Wednesday, said the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Under the new system, known as the Wage Protection System, workers hired on an annual or monthly contract must be paid their wages by direct deposit every month.
Other staff, including those being paid by the hour, must receive a salary payment by bank transfer every two weeks. “WPS aims to ensure that employers fulfil their obligation of paying the workers’ wages in a timely manner, and in accordance with their contracts and the applicable regulations in the State,” QNA reported.
Non-payment of migrant workers, especially those in the construction sector, has become a sensitive issue for Qatar.
Qatar is considering imposing penalties against firms that fail to pay migrant workers on time, one of the biggest complaints voiced by rights groups against companies in the Gulf state.
The host of the 2022 football World Cup has come under mounting international pressure to improve conditions for migrant labourers working on projects that are to stage the event. Under draft legislation now being considered by the Qatari government, bosses who do not pay their workers on time could lose the ability to hire new staff.
The proposal would also allow the country’s labour ministry to halt “all dealings” with businesses until they pay up.
The issue was discussed by the cabinet on Wednesday, said the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Under the new system, known as the Wage Protection System, workers hired on an annual or monthly contract must be paid their wages by direct deposit every month.
Other staff, including those being paid by the hour, must receive a salary payment by bank transfer every two weeks. “WPS aims to ensure that employers fulfil their obligation of paying the workers’ wages in a timely manner, and in accordance with their contracts and the applicable regulations in the State,” QNA reported.
Non-payment of migrant workers, especially those in the construction sector, has become a sensitive issue for Qatar.
