Minister of Administrative Development Affirms Qatar's Commitment to Protect Workers' Rights

HE Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi has stressed that the State of Qatar spares no effort in providing expatriate manpower with all means to coexist side by side with their diversified religions, cultures and lifestyles, as well as in protecting and promoting their rights. 
The State of Qatar is at the forefront of countries that receive large numbers of expatriate labor force every year, HE the Minister said at the opening session of the 4th edition of the annual Labor Welfare Conference, organized by Dar Al Sharq. 
HE added that the Qatari society has become a unique model for coexistence between people of different faiths and cultures. 
He pointed out that expatriate workers achieve mutual benefits through their appreciated efforts in achieving economic growth for the country in general and development in various fields in particular. 
These benefits also include, improving the conditions of expatriate workers and their families in their countries and developing their countries economy through remittances which estimated at billions of dollars annually according to the World Bank, HE added. 
As commitment of the State of Qatar to fulfill its obligations, HE Al Nuaimi affirmed the country's continues efforts at the legislative and institutional levels to protect and promote all the rights of expatriate workers, pointing out that Qatar National Vision 2030 has devoted the establishment of institutional arrangements to guarantee the rights and safety of expatriate workers. 
HE Al Nuaimi reviewed some of the achievements made in protecting the rights of expatriate workers, noting the State of Qatar's keenness to launch a package of policies, legislative and procedural amendments to achieve the goal of decent work for citizens and expatriate workers alike. 
HE Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs said that these policies and procedures will establish and promote balanced and productive work relations between the two parties that based on mutual consent and transparency in the contract to preserve all the rights of both parties. 
In this context, he pointed out that the abolish of Kafala system completely affirms the will and keenness of the State of Qatar to promote and protect the rights of expatriate workers. He said that the law no 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates has come into force at the of 2016. The law abolishes the Kafala system completely not just modifying, updating or developing it. 
HE Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi also said that Qatar issued several legislative and practical measures to address the issue of non-payment or delay of wages. 
HE said that the State of Qatar looks forward to being an example in adopting a legal and ethical commitment in dealing with expatriate workers, which confirms its keenness to raise the standard of living of all expatriate workers. 
The Labor Welfare Conference comes this year under the theme "Challenges and Achievements". 
Representatives of a number of government entities, institutions and companies in the country, as well as representatives of a number of human rights organizations concerned with the labor participated in the Conference. 
The agenda of the conference includes three working sessions that concentrate on the legal achievements and procedures achieved by the State of Qatar, the role of private institutions and the vision of the jurists on the rights of workers and what have been achieved and the "Communication is Better" initiatives towards workers in the State of Qatar, managed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
 

Source: QNA