What must you beware of before coming to Qatar?
• Be careful of false promises presented to you by “visa traders” for working against high salaries, good living conditions and great transfers to you family. Those people are interested only in taking the price of the visa and achieving quick profits.
• Buying a visa to work in the state of Qatar may enable you to enter the country legally but it does not necessarily mean that job or residence accommodations are granteed in accordance with what could have been a result of a swindling process.
• Make sure that “workers contracting office” or” anybody who advised you of working in Qatar” at your country, has “license from the Ministry of Labour in Qatar permitting him to bring you to work for others.
• Make sure that you’re well aware of the nature of the job, salary and residence through signing and initial contract with the contractor or seek registration details about the company or work place you are joining.
• Any verbal agreements you make with the employer before coming to Qatar will have no legal binding whatsoever and can be easily violated after your arrival, therefore you must insist on acquiring your own work contract directly before you start work, on the previously mentioned conditions. This will protect you from facing one of the following:
• Exploitation by employer, making you perform duties not agreed on.
• Giving you salary less than what has been agreed on, or keeping you working for many months without paying your salary.
• Not providing the appropriate accommodation agreed on with the employer, or providing an accommodation not according to what has been agreed on.
You must be sure of having required vocational qualifications to work in Qatar, and inform the employment agent in your country of any courses you have taken to enhance your performance.
Is it legal for recruitment agencies in the State of Qatar to charge you the expenses in bringing you to Qatar?
It is Not Legal for Qatari contractors to charge you any amount as fees or expenses for bringing you for working in Qatar.
What are the procedures your employer must undertake as soon as you arrive in the State of Qatar?
• If you have signed a contract in advance, he must initiate residency permit procedures.
• If you have not signed a contract, you must ask your employer to make you a contract, authenticate it by the Labour Department, and then start residency procedures.
Is it legal to work in Qatar without a contract?
It is illegal to work in Qatar without a written and signed contract between you and your employer; this can bring you many troubles. However if the employer refuses to sign a contract, you can prove your employment status by all kinds of proof.
What are the required documents to complete work and residency procedures in Qatar?
Good conduct certificate from your country of origin, attested by authorised agencies. Also the certificate must be endorsed by the embassy of your country in Qatar as well as by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.
Medical examination to ensure that you are fit for work, this examination is repeated in Qatar by the authorised bodies. You will be expelled by Qatari authorities if the medical examination finds you unfit.
Is it legal for the employer to keep you passport with them?
It is not legal; employer should give you your passport upon completion of residence or residence renewal procedures. Residence should be renewed within maximum period of ninety days from its expiry date.
What should the work contract primarily include?
• The name of the employer and the place of work
• The name and qualifications of the worker, his nationality, occupation, his address, and ID
• Date the contract is signed
• Kind of work, its nature, and the place the contract is made
• Date when the employee starts to work
• Duration of contract, if any
• Amount of salary, and time and method of payment
• Provisions of accommodation and transportation or allowances covering both of them are among the things that are advisable to be included in the contract.
In case of a dispute with your employer about payment, is payment due from date contract is signed or from actual date of starting work?
The actual start of work is applicable, not the date of contract, provided that the contract does not indicate otherwise.
For example, if your contract was signed on 1/3/2008, and you started work on 1/1/2008, the start of work on 1/1/2008 is the applicable date and your payment is calculated accordingly.
Is it permissible to keep an original copy of your contract?
Yes and not getting a copy is considered a violation of the law.
What is the contract duration?
There are two kinds of contracts: fixed-term contract and open-ended (unlimited by time) contract
What is a fixed-term contract?
A fixed-term contract obliges you to work for your employer, under his supervision for duration of time specified in the contract that should not exceed five years, renewable for a similar duration one of more than one. It is illegal for any of the contracting parties to separately decide to end the contract after the probation period indicated in the contract has ended to do so would render the termination of contract illegal granting the wronged party to sue for damages.
What is an open-ended contract?
To agree to work for an employer under his supervision for a non-specified duration of time, in return for salary. It is permissible under the law for any of the parties in this case to terminate contract at any time and without giving any reason after the agreed notification period.
What is the notification period for open-ended contracts?
If the contract is open-ended, it is legal for either party to end it without giving reason, and in such case the party ending the contract should notify the other party in writing as following:
• For workers paid annually or monthly, the notification document should be given for ending the contract not less than one month in advance if the service period is five years or less; in case the service period is more than five years, the notification document should be delivered at least two months in advance.
• In other cases where workers are paid on a day-to-day basis, or whose payment is estimated in accordance with a production-evaluation , the notification document should be delivered in accordance with the following:
• If the service period is less than a year the notification document should be delivered at least one week in advance.
• If the service period is more than a year and less than five years, the notification-document should be delivered two weeks ahead.
• If the service period is more than five years, the notification document should be delivered at least one month in advance.
What happens when a contract is terminated without abiding by the notification-document rule?
The party terminating contract without abiding by the notification-document rule is liable to pay compensation to the wronged party equal to a worker’s salary due for the notification period. The Peninsula
