As regional firms line up for the multibillion-dollar contracts set to be awarded as part of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup building programme, international human rights groups are turning the spotlight on the plight of construction workers in the wealthy Gulf state.

In June, the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report, Protecting Migrant Workers in Qatar Ahead of Fifa 2022, which contained findings of sub-standard living conditions and evidence of abuse of labourers. The report also identified key issues that Qatari authorities and major construction firms were encouraged to address in relation to the foreign workforce.

“The main issue is migrant workers in Qatar have no rights. The conditions of employment in Qatar’s construction sector are extremely hazardous,” says Tim Noonan, director of campaigns and communications at the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

“Unless there is a fundamental change, we estimate that more workers will die building the World Cup facilities than players will play in the World Cup tournament in 2022.”

Migrant labourers in Qatar

Concerns over the rights of expatriate workers in Qatar are magnified by the sheer size of the emirate’s migrant labour force. According to HRW, foreigners account for up to 94 per cent of Qatar’s total workforce. Close to 1.2 million of the state’s 1.7 million residents are migrant workers mostly from the Indian subcontinent, marking the highest percentage of expatriates to nationals anywhere in the world. HRW’s January 2012 country report found the construction sector employs about 506,000 foreign workers.

With Qatar planning to invest upwards of $60bn in developing new sports facilities, transport infrastructure and accommodation to host the World Cup, more than one million additional foreign workers may be drafted in to help with the construction programme. Given this influx, ensuring the safety of work sites will be paramount. While the Gulf state does not release figures on deaths and accidents at work, investigations by groups such as HRW and ITUC have found high rates of fatalities on construction sites throughout the country. According to ITUC, 162 Nepalese workers died in Qatar between January and October 2011. The organisation found 92 of the deaths were unexplained, 22 were work-related and 13 were due to suicide.

Rights groups have also reported a number of unsafe practices on worksites, including labourers working on high scaffolding or roofs without safety ropes, or in deep trenches and enclosed pipes.

Living conditions have also been condemned by rights groups. In its June report on Qatar, HRW found that camps housing thousands of labourers contravened local regulations. Despite laws prohibiting  the accommodation of more than four workers in one room, HRW reported that each of the six labour camps surveyed housed between eight and 18 workers a room and some did not provide clean drinking water. A number of workers also complained about broken air-conditioning systems, which remained unfixed for months.

Lack of workers’ rights

Another key concern for human rights groups and labour associations is the lack of rights afforded to migrant workers. As with many of the Gulf states, Qatar’s construction industry operates under a sponsorship system, with employees placed under the control of their employers. “The system basically means workers have no freedom to change jobs, or even to go home without the permission of their employer,” says Noonan.

HRW points to an inadequate legal framework to protect the rights of migrant workers in Qatar. The organisation states that the “extensive control” afforded to employers prevents workers from free association and collective bargaining for improved conditions.

“Workers must be able to collectively bargain for safe work and decent wages. As it stands, the Qatari labour law deprives workers of any such right,” says Noonan.

HRW claims employers routinely confiscate workers’ passports, and that the country’s restrictive sponsorship law makes changing jobs difficult, if not impossible. The organisation found that the lack of employee rights results in labourers frequently earning wages of $8-11 for nine to 11-hour days, with some earning as little as $6.75 a day. Many of the workers interviewed by HRW claimed that wages were much lower than they had been promised when recruited in their own country.

HRW and ITUC both point to the need for Doha to reform its labour laws and bring the country’s labour legislation into line with international standards. “Firstly, migrant workers must have their rights under international law recognised. That means that they must have the right to form their own trade union organisation; they need to be able to do that without interference from authorities,” says Noonan.

HRW states that creating contractual guarantees for workers’ rights is a vital first step. The organisation also states that the government needs to enforce its ban on passport confiscation, scrap the exit visa requirement and enable workers to change jobs freely without requiring the consent of their employers.

Doha workers’ rights initiatives

In response to criticism of Qatar’s labour rights record, the government and the World Cup committee have made a number of pledges to amend legislation and improve conditions for workers.

Speaking at the Carnegie Mellon University in Doha in January, Hassan al-Thawadi, the general secretary of Qatar’s Supreme World Cup Committee, conceded that there “are labour issues here in the country” before reiterating that “Qatar is committed to reform”.

Noonan says similar pledges were made to ITUC by Qatar’s acting labour minister during a meeting at the International Labour Organisation in Geneva in June.

“The minister did promise that changes to the labour law were being worked on and said that he would send us a copy of the draft changes to the law,” says Noonan.

Despite this, rights groups are still waiting for tangible evidence of reform. International construction companies bidding for World Cup projects have also been made aware of their responsibility towards the welfare of Qatar’s growing migrant workforce.

“They have a crucially important role to play. There are massive reputational issues for these companies at stake here,” says Noonan. Some of the largest construction firms operating in Qatar have already made concerted efforts to ensure fair and safe working conditions for migrant workers. One of these is the US-based Bechtel, which has overseen the construction of the New Doha International Airport (NDIA). Scheduled to open in 2012, the NDIA is one of the largest construction projects in Qatar to date.

“I think the project we are working on, the airport scheme, would hold its own in terms of international standards for health and safety,” says David Welch, president of Europe, Africa and Middle East division at Bechtel.

“We’re not always sure how any individual sub-contractor takes care of its people – but whenever we hear of any issue, we address it.”

Welch is keen to stress Bechtel’s commitment to ensuring the rights of workers on its projects are upheld.

“It is a very important issue. We try on every job site we have, whether it is in Qatar or Texas, to ensure the highest standards of safety and protect the rights of any workers who are associated with us,” says Welch.

The UK’s Atkins is also acutely aware of the need to safeguard the rights of its workforce in Qatar. Earlier this year, the UK consultant was appointed by Qatar’s Municipality and Urban Planning Ministry to help establish and operate its Central Planning Office (CPO).

The CPO has been given the responsibility of coordinating and planning the road, metro and other major infrastructure schemes that will underpin Doha’s 2030 vision, and Atkins will play a central role in planning and overseeing Qatar’s construction programme over the next 18 years. The firm’s Middle East chief executive officer, Richard Barrett, says the welfare of its workforce is a key priority. “It is of paramount importance that clients we work for take health and safety seriously,” he says.

Onus on government to ensure safety of workers

Barrett is confident the welfare of workers will form an integral part of Doha’s construction programme in the run-up to the World Cup and beyond. He says CPO is working with major government clients, such as the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), to ensure the safety of workers.

The international human rights community agrees that the government needs to take the lead on labour conditions. “Ultimately, the government has to legislate. It’s a necessary prerequisite for change,” says Noonan.

Qatar’s decision to bid for the World Cup was one of the cornerstones of its 2030 Vision plan. To reap the benefits from hosting one of the world’s largest sporting events, Doha needs to ensure it protects the rights of workers building key schemes. Neglecting to do so could harm Qatar’s international reputation and discourage future investment in the gas-rich country.