Qatar to introduce labour law reforms

23 February 2015

Authorities discuss changes to laws and worker rights as World Cup preparations intensify

  • Qatar announces labour law reforms
  • Ministry yet to provide details of new laws

Qatar is planning to introduce labour law reforms to help improve worker conditions in the run-up to the 2022 Fifa football World Cup.

It is understood the announcement, which has been approved by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, will stipulate that workers get paid at least once a month.

Employers are expected to have six months to implement the new rules, which include all payments to be made by bank transfer in order to help the authorities track them.

Although details of the reforms have yet to be confirmed, prison sentences and fines are expected as part of the punishments aimed at deterring employers from breaching the country’s labour laws.

Qatar’s labour laws have been a topic of controversy in recent years and in May last year, the Labour Ministry announced changes to the kafala (sponsorship) system that would replace the existing system with one based on employment contracts.

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