The Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, H E Abdullah Saleh Mubarak Al Khulaifi (right), greeting an inspector after oath-taking at a function last week.
DOHA: The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has begun augmenting its inspection unit by recruiting more staff so as to keep a close watch on private companies and make sure workers’ rights are protected.
Last week, a batch of 14 newly-recruited labour inspectors took oath of office at a ceremony presided over by the Minister, H E Abdullah Saleh Mubarak Al Khulaifi.
The inspectors have been armed with judicial powers and they took a pledge that they will help implement the provisions of the labour law with all earnestness.
The Minister said on the occasion that the Ministry is always keen to improve work environment in the country and make sure that the rights of both workers and their employers are protected.
Arming the inspectors with judicial powers is to ensure full and effective implementation of the labour law and oath-taking by inspectors is meant to make them realise the importance of their role, a Ministry statement said.
The Minister called on the recruits to do their duty with dedication and honesty. Senior Ministry officials attended the oath-taking ceremony.
To recall, the Under-secretary at the Ministry, H E Hussain Al Mulla, said in a media interview here early last month that the Ministry currently had 150 inspectors and was mulling increasing their number to 250.
Many inspectors, he added, were being sent to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for intensive training so they could apply the right methods while conducting inspection.
Back from training they could train other inspectors here, Al Mulla had said.
Abdullah Saleh had told reporters late last September that more inspectors were being recruited to keep a check on companies and ensure that workers’ rights are protected.
He had said that a heavier influx of foreign workers for the FIFA 2022 project implied that companies needed to be closely monitored. “The Ministry is also hiring more language interpreters so workers’ woes can be redressed by the labour department and its branches efficiently,” he had stressed.
Meanwhile, asked what the judicial powers of labour inspectors meant, prominent lawyer, Yusuf Al Zaman, told this newspaper that the powers gave inspectors the right to frame charges against a company found violating the labour law, and refer them directly to the police.
The police would, in turn, forward the charges to the Public Prosecution which would eventually file the charges in court
The Peninsula
