Qatar ensure labour safety as construction of stadiums for 2022 FIFA World Cup begins

Ever since Qatar received the honour of hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022, the middle eastern country has been subjected to a lot of criticism, especially from the Western world. To top the controversies with a piece of cherry, Qatar were pointed out for their blatant way of treating their labourers which has resulted in the death of more than 500 Indian migrant workers after working on construction sites in the last two years with the death toll rising to more than 700.

Documents and official figures from the Indian Embassy in Doha confirmed that 233 Indian workers died in 2010, 239 in 2011, 237 in 2012 and a further 241 workers lost their lives last year. Human rights groups have requested Qatar to improve their work conditions and accommodation status for the estimated 1.2 million workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, SriLanka, the Philippines and Egypt.

The Kafala system, which is followed in Qatar restricts workers from keeping their own passports and workers are beholden to the employers who sponsored their visas. The involvement of subcontractors has resulted in the abuse of workers.

“Preparations for the 2022 World Cup cannot go on like this – the trickle of worrying reports from the construction sites of Qatar has become a torrent ” - Jim Murphy, the shadow international development secretary.

Since then, they have taken strict and proactive steps to counter attack the problem and prove to FIFA and other bodies that Qatar is a safe place for workers. As the construction of the Al Wakrah stadium has begun, the country has ensured the workers’ safety with proper and well built living quarters packed with areas to relax, spacious bedrooms and laundry service.

“ Our accommodation standards are very detailed. We want to make sure there is enough water pressure, hot water for showers and water coolers. For food, we make sure there’s a rotation of catering because we don’t allow cooking in the accommodation for health and safety reasons,” – Farah Al Muftah, Chairwoman of the Workers’ Welfare Committee (WWC) of the Supreme Committee

New Accommodation of the workers.

The building in the Industrial Area houses 79 workers as employees of Amana Qatar Contracting Company and each worker has 6 square metres of space in the room and this facility is applicable to all categories of workers from health and safety experts to masons. Moreover, the workers do not have to cook once they return home from work as three free meals a day are provided to them. In addition Qatar has done a wonderful job in forming the ”Workers Charters” to avoid further controversies. A four-layer audit mechanism is being set up and the Supreme Committee will make sure it meets the required standards.