DOHA: Qatar’s human rights committee says challenges remain in protecting workers’ rights in the country as many smaller contracting companies often run by non-Qataris fail to respect their workers’ rights.
“There are challenges facing the protection of workers’ rights,” said Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, Chairman, Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee.
He told the 27th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday that workers of many companies have a hard time claiming their salary arrears.
And this is mostly true of construction companies, particularly the smaller ones often run by non-Qataris.
Al Marri also welcomed the recommendations for Qatar at a Universal Periodic Review (UPR)at the meeting, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports. He said Qatar had received 84 recommendations that directly address the area of work of the NHRC.
The recommendations urge Qatar to continue efforts to improve mechanisms to protect and promote human rights and create awareness and train public service and law-enforcement employees. They also ask Qatar to continue to work to develop laws and institutions concerned with human rights.
Al Marri said the working group has in its report made 28 recommendations to enhance the status of women in society to ensure equality, arm them with economic, civil and political rights and prevent violence.
He also talked about plans to abolish the sponsorship system for foreign workers.
Al Marri said the sponsorship system for foreign workers would be replaced with a system based on employment contracts (signed between workers and their employers). He said several laws are being amended.
The labour inspection system is being upgraded and efforts are being made to help strike a balance in work relationship to ensure the rights of workers and their employers are protected.
The protection and promotion of human rights is not the responsibility of the government alone, he said, adding that developing civil societies is crucial to building a strong society that allows dialogue and is characterised by self-confidence. He said he was confident that the recommendations would be implemented before the next UPR in 2017.
The Peninsula
