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Agencies
Doha
United Nations (UN) experts say progress has been made on the status of foreign workers in Qatar, especially after the country brought in reforms to end the exit permit system and amend the contract labour and sponsorship rules.
The head of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Project Office in Qatar, Hatan Homayounpour, termed the scrapping of exit permits as"a major milestone".
Qatar adopted a new legislation last month, marking a significant step towards upholding the fundamental rights of migrant workers in Qatar.
The Law No. 13 of 2018, amended provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015 and Law No. 1 of 2017, which regulated the entry and exit of expatriates. Under the previous legal framework, all migrant workers were required to obtain an exit permit from their employer in order to leave Qatar. With this new law, most of the migrant workers covered by the Labour Code will be able to leave Qatar without having to obtain such a permit.
"The ILO welcomes the enactment of Law No. 13, which will have a direct and positive impact on the lives of migrant workers in Qatar," Homayounpour has said in response to the new legislation.
"This first step towards full suppression of exit permits is a clear sign of the government of Qatar's commitment to labour reforms and a key milestone in the process. The ILO will continue to work closely with the government of Qatar on these reforms," he added.
Homayounpour has also praised Qatar's reforms of the kafala system by ensuring employee contracts are lodged with a government authority to prevent contract substitution. A minimum wage was also prescribed as part of the reforms among other things.
Qatar is to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Seven new stadiums are being built for the competition, with up to 36,000 foreign labourers employed on the construction sites. The labour reforms undertaken by Qatar will further ensure their safety, security and protection of rights besides the attendant state mechanisms.
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18/11/2018
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