All Work, No Pay: The Struggle of Qatar's Migrant Workers for Justice
Summary
Date Reported: 19 Sep 2019
Location: Qatar
Companies
United Cleaning Co. - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 800
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 80 - Kenya , Cleaning & maintenance , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Failing to renew visas , Wage TheftResponse
Response sought: Yes, by NGO
Action taken: 80 out of over 800 impacted employees submitted a complaint to the Committee in March 2018; United Cleaning failed to attend three different mediation sessions at the Labour Relations Department. Workers were allegedly discouraged from pursuing their cases and were pushed to accept settlements. Many workers did get settlement decisions between September and December 2018, but United Cleaning had not paid owed salaries in full at the time of reporting.
Source type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 19 Sep 2019
Location: Qatar
Companies
Hamton International - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 900
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Bangladesh , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Ghana , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Kenya , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Nepal , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Sri Lanka , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Deaths , Intimidation , Right to Food , Failing to renew visas , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Personal Health , Wage TheftResponse
Response sought: Yes, by NGO
Action taken: Hamton officials failed to attend the mediation sessions facilitiated by the Labour Relations Department. In October 2018, Hamton's sponsor was arrested and promised to pay the workers within 10 days. However, he was released without doing so. In November 2018 around 500 workers were still living in the labour camp; some workers later accepted an offer of repatriation and a small fraction of owed wages in repayment from a relative of Hamton's sponsor. In December 2018 around 120 workers were still waiting to hear the outcome of their complaints and were still being pressured to return home with only a fraction of the owed wages. By April 2019 around 100 workers remained in Qatar, finally receiving judgments from the Committee for the Settlement of Labour Disputes in their favour. Hamton was ordered by the court to pay workers, but as of September 2019 had not done so.
Source type: NGO
The new Committees are a potentially promising reform, aiming at reducing the barriers to accessing justice. If the system worked in the way intended and outlined in law, Committees would issue judgements on cases in just six weeks of a complaint being made and would be able to ensure that workers received remedy, for example by ordering employers to pay missing wages.
In some cases, migrant workers have seen the benefits. However, the reality for many migrant workers is much less rosy and the profound challenges still faced by workers seeking justice through the Committees – particularly lengthy processes and non-payment of compensation – are well represented in cases involving hundreds of workers that are highlighted in this report.