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y those workers—including payment of recruitment fees and retention of their
passports—fell into that category. Although the company said that it felt the airport project
“should be credited for its efforts to achieve positive labor conditions,” it did not address
Human Rights Watch’s recommendation that it publicly pledge to adopt various measures
to address workers’ rights, including arranging for independent monitoring of workers’
conditions on projects under their supervision and issuing public reports on the findings.
Human Rights Watch contacted those companies and entities whose work is specifically
addressed in this report, but the issues raised are relevant to a wide set of public and
private actors. In light of our research documenting the prevalence of abusive conditions
for workers in Qatar’s construction industry, Human Rights Watch strongly encourages all
companies in that industry to publicly pledge to respect the rights of all workers
associated with their projects and to undertake concrete measures to prevent, mitigate,
and address abuses of worker rights. The specific measures we recommend include action
by companies involved in construction in Qatar, including contractors and subcontractors
involved in the construction of World Cup-related facilities, to abide by Qatari law and
international labor standards. Specifically, they should agree to: take all possible steps to
ensure no workers have paid fees associated with their recruitment and commit to
reimbursing workers who have paid any such fees in contravention of local law, including if
the fees were paid to labor agencies or other intermediaries; strictly prohibit the retention
of workers’ passports or other identity documents, including by subcontractors or
intermediaries, and ensure that safe storage facilities where they can access such
documents are made available; and ensure that all workers receive and sign enforceable
employment contracts in a language that they understand prior to their migration.
They should also agree to ensure on-time payment in full of workers’ wages from the first
month of their employment, to be paid into bank accounts on a no-less-than monthly basis;
ensure adequate housing facilities for all workers in accordance with domestic and
international standards; and provide guarantees that they will respect workers’ rights to
freedom of association and collective bargaining and include provisions to this effect in
workers’ employment contracts. Finally, they should arrange for independent monitoring of
workers’ conditions on their projects or projects under their supervision, and issue public
reports on workers’ conditions, including worker injuries and deaths, so as to effectively
monitor conditions at World Cup-related sites and ensure that the games do not rest upon
worker abuse and exploitation.
13 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | JUNE 2012