DOHA: The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee (Q22) said yesterday that it will release a set of standards next month to ensure welfare of workers involved in projects related to the World Cup.
It will be a contractual obligation for companies working on Q22 projects to comply with the standards and their performance will be monitored, the committee said in a statement issued after a meeting with a visiting delegation from Amnesty International.
The Workers’ Welfare Standards will be aligned with Qatari law and international best practices and will set clear guidelines from recruitment to repatriation, Q22 said.
“In 2013, Q22 released its Workers’ Charter and, at the end of this year, it will release Workers Welfare Standards,” said the statement.
“Compliance with the law and Q22’s standards will be a contractual obligation for companies working on Q22 projects and will be transparently and robustly monitored through a three-tier compliance and auditing structure,” it added.
Q22 met with Amnesty International on Sunday to discuss the conditions of workers working on projects leading to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“A productive discussion took place covering a range of topics, including the progress of the Q22 Workers’ Welfare Standards and the formation of the Q22 Worker Welfare Committee. It was agreed at the conclusion of the meeting that a constructive dialogue between the two organisations would continue in the years leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar,” said the statement.
Q22 has been meeting with relevant stakeholders and developing a plan for addressing worker welfare since winning the bid in 2010.
The Committee said it valued the Amnesty International report on Qatar and was pleased to see that it acknowledged the positive steps Q22 is taking to ensure contractors uphold human rights standards.
The report has also acknowledged that the responsibility for the welfare of workers is shared by all parties involved in the chain of contracting including the government of Qatar, governments of the manpower exporting countries, recruitment agencies and the companies that utilise them, said the statement.
The Peninsula
