I can say that May 2014 was a month of traumas, because prices of diesel increased at the beginning of the month, pushing up prices of all commodities.
In mid-May, the government announced wide-ranging reforms in the Qatari labour market, and by the end of the month, Qatar Exchange raised foreign ownership limits in the capital of listed companies to 49 percent, and this will definitely lead to increased trading in shares by expats, which not many Qataris are aware about.
Today’s article will focus on what the Ministry of Interior announced regarding the new sponsorship law, which is called the “Law on entry and residence permit of expatriates in the State of Qatar”.
In a press conference held on May 14, 2014, the Interior Ministry announced that it is preparing new draft law. However, after carefully reading and studying what the ministry had announced, I came up with the following observations:
1. The name “sponsorship” will be changed to “work contract”. This is fine, as this will exempt the sponsor from all obligations imposed on him by the state. These obligations are many, but we will not mention them as we wouldn’t want eyes to be opened to them.
2. The exit permit will be replaced by an electronic system under the Ministry of Interior. The ministry has implemented the automatic system for the exit permit since it introduced the “Metrash 2” service. This has made it easier for sponsors to get an exit permit without signing any paper or going to the authorities to get the required permissions for those under their sponsorship.
3. A committee will be set up under the Ministry of Interior to decide, within 72 hours, on granting an exit permit to an employee in the event of a disagreement with the sponsor. This statement struck me, so I went to meet Brigadier Mohamed Ahmed Al Ateeq, General Directorate of Border Passports and Expatriate Affairs, and asked for an explanation.
“The committee will receive exit permit requests only in case of disagreements regarding the departure of the employee. Then, the committee, within 72 hours, will decide on the request after calling the employer to inquire about the nature of disagreement,” Al Ateeq said.
“If it was an arbitrary decision of the employer, then the committee will grant the employee the exit permit. Otherwise, in case of valid reasons, the committee will not allow the employee to leave the country,” he added.
So Brigadier Al Ateeq’s clarification is clear; the committee will become indispensable, as it will limit arbitrariness by sponsors.
4. Employers cannot keep employees’ passports. This is a controversial issue, as the majority of employers keep the passports of workers with them so that they do not lose them in labour camps, and because employers are responsible for renewing the workers’ residence permits, failing which they will be fined. Therefore, it does not make much difference whether the passports are with the employees or employers. It will not affect the workflow, and workers carry their ID cards, by which they can be identified by the authorities.
Few employers keep passports with them as a precautionary measure to prevent workers from absconding.
In my opinion, it is better if workers keep their passports with them. It will not harm the employers, and would rather benefit them as they will be exempted from renewing residence permits and the fines levied in case of a delay. If they are not exempted from the aforementioned, the Interior Ministry will have to bear the consequences of the decision.
5. A committee will be formed to receive complaints from workers and defend their rights. Unfortunately, this was approved by the Cabinet and referred to the Advisory Council. This subject is under the purview of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, but I would like to discuss it from the security point of view.
The one who proposed this committee may not be aware of its implications. It will make the country face endless problems. Once this committee is formed and its representatives elected, the government should admit that non-Qataris have the right to vote on some of the internal affairs of this country.
With this committee coming into being, the government will have to end the role of the Ministry of Labour, the National Human Rights Committee, the human rights section at the Ministry of Interior, and the Supreme Judicial Council with regard to workers’ rights.
In this regard, we should not forget that the government will also have to activate articles No. 116 to 123 of Labor Law No. 14/2004 regarding Qatari employees.
6. The two-year bar on workers coming back to the country after leaving their job and returning home. On this point, we may need to differentiate between those who get an exit permit on request and those whose employers did not need them any more. These employees should be able to return to the country without having to wait for two years. As for those who leave the country because of problems, those who abscond, are deported by a court’s decision or leave for administrative reasons, they should not be allowed to return to the country ever again, or at least for two years.
The way the proposed cancellation of this clause was announced at the press conference is not acceptable at all.
In the end, we may say that most of what the Ministry of Interior announced was ordinary, except for some of the issues I have mentioned above.
