Qatar emir approves labour law reforms

The Qatar News Agency said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had issued a new law late Tuesday overseeing the sponsorship system, though rights activists said they were disappointed by the reforms.

DOHA // Qatar’s emir has approved reform of the country’s “kafala” labour laws for its large population of migrant workers, the Qatar news agency reported.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a new legislation late Tuesday overseeing the sponsorship system — which currently only allows workers to leave the country with the approval of their employer — as well as rules which allow workers to switch jobs.

The new rules will allow foreign workers who want to leave Qatar to apply for permission from the interior ministry at least 72 hours beforehand.

If permission is initially denied, employees seeking to leave the country can complain to a grievance committee, which will be established under the new law.

The changes also allow foreign workers to switch jobs at the end of a fixed-term contract.

Under the current system, workers who leave a job at the end of a contract have to wait two years to return to Qatar to take up a new position, if the employer objects to the new job.

Exiting the country and changing work contracts had proved the trickiest areas to change and were the subject of debate in Qatar, with the country’s main advisory body, the Shura Council, questioning reforms earlier this summer.

It was not clear exactly when the changes would take effect, but it was unlikely before 2017.

Rights activists said on Wednesday they were disappointed by the reforms.

“These changes are unlikely to lead to a meaningful improvement,” said Nicholas McGeehan, Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch. “One of the most disappointing aspects of the law is the fact that workers will still apparently need employer permission to leave the country.”

The decision to award Qatar rights to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup put a spotlight on its labour and residency practices. It has also been criticised for its slow pace of reform, even though the country announced earlier this year that it was committed to change the kafala system by the end of 2015.

The announcement of the latest reforms came ahead of another major change early next month when Doha introduces the wage protection system.

It will ensure migrant workers get paid on time, with wages electronically transferred to bank accounts.

* Agencies