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whether they forfeit their rights in the dispute-resolution process. In response to a request
from Human Rights Watch, Labor Ministry officials provided the precise number of
complaints received and the number referred to civil courts, but did not provide
information on the types of resolutions achieved or the number of cases in which
employees received compensation.
Embassy officials and worker advocates reported that workers in distress who failed to
resolve their complaints through the Complaints Department or through embassymediated
attempts at resolution typically chose to forfeit their rights rather than pursuing
cases against their employers that could take months or years to resolve. Without their
original job or permission to transfer sponsorship to a new employer, many workers had no
source of income and could ill-afford to pursue court claims.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Labor to Human Rights Watch, while their
complaints department referred 1,279 cases to Qatari courts in the last three years, only
100 cases, less than eight percent of the total, received sponsorship transfer, though
Qatar’s Sponsorship Law requires it whenever a legal case is pending between an
employer and a worker. This means that in 92% of cases, workers who had filed
complaints had no choice but to continue working for their employer during the course of
the proceedings against their employer, or to forfeit their rights and leave the country.
While the Sponsorship Law also allows sponsorship transfer in cases of abuse, the Qatar
National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), which handles hundreds of worker complaints,
reported that the ministry had denied 80 percent of the NHRC’s requests to transfer
workers’ sponsors, though the group had reviewed workers’ cases and in each case
determined they had strong reasons for transfer.
Qatar Law
Qatar’s current Labor Law, passed in 2004, provides some strong protections by setting
maximum work hours per week, requiring paid annual leave and end-of-service bonuses,
and making provisions for workers’ health and safety. It requires employers to pay workers’
salary on time each month and bans recruitment agents licensed in Qatar from charging
workers fees. It also bans employers from confiscating passports; sets strict requirements
for workers’ accommodations; and bans midday work during the hot summer months.
BUILDING A BETTER WORLD CUP 6