GENEVA: Chairperson of Qatar National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) HE Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah emphasized that NHRC has been contributing to promoting the human rights situation for all workers, noting the incredible breakthrough in the legislation and laws in this regard.
This came during her meeting with Assistant Director-General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue in the International Labour Organization (ILO), Manuela Tomei, on the margins of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
She added that, since its inception, NHRC has been striving to alter the situation of workers and reviewing numerous laws that advocate for workers, affirming that she is upbeat about the accomplishments made in this respect, especially since the number of workers' complaints has dramatically plummeted.
She noted the special Ministry of Labour established in 2021 and the cancellation of the sponsorship system "Kafala", allowing workers to change their employers through the electronic notification service, and creating an electronic platform by the Ministry of Labour dedicated to receiving complaints.
NHRC constantly works to monitor the workers' situation in Qatar, as well as surveilling and documenting the payment of wages to workers to ensure that wages are paid in accordance with the rules and conditions stipulated by the labour law, HE Al Attiyah underlined, affirming that in case of any breaches of the procedures, the process of granting new work licenses is suspended, and all employers transactions at the Ministry of Labour are put on hold.
The Chairperson of NHRC gave a thorough explanation about a series of visits the NHRC paid to worker-exporting countries to follow up on the contract mechanism in those countries and ensure that it complies with the conditions and labour laws in the State of Qatar. She highlighted that those visits helped boost communication with the professionals operating in the area of employing the workers, in addition to ensuring that workers have a clear vision concerning these labour conditions and laws.
Regarding awareness and education, she indicated that there is a special program devoted to workers within the NHRC's strategy, along with awareness campaigns, such as the heat stress campaign and worker's pocketbook that was translated into eleven languages for labour-exporting countries.
She underscored the significance of reinforcing the cooperation between NHRC and ILO in the area of awareness and education by inking a cooperation memorandum, adding that being a leading national committee of human rights in the south region, NHRC primarily supports cooperation among the south countries through sharing expertise and upgrading the capabilities.
NHRC possesses a mechanism for monitoring, raising awareness and educating through those visits, as well as the establishment of offices of the communities in the diaspora specialized in receiving complaints, as per workers' nationalities, Al Attiyah emphasized.
Concerning the mechanism for receiving workers' complaints, she indicated that this matter falls under the jurisdiction of NHRC through many channels, foremost of which are the hotline and offices of the communities, noting the role of NHRC in sorting these complaints through an eclectic group of NHRC legal researchers who regularly scrutinize these complaints with all parties and subsequently file them to certified lawyers for advocacy.
For her part, Assistant Director-General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue in ILO Manuela Tomei welcomed the NHRC delegation, adding that she was delighted with this convention and the depth of friendship between ILO and Qatar, affirming that the ILO office in Doha has a major role in perpetuating this constructive relationship.
Tomei elucidated that multiple great milestones have been achieved in Qatar, including the cancellation of the sponsorship system, affirming that it is an unprecedented achievement in the region, along with forming a committee for determining the minimum wages.
Commenting on the fields of health and occupational safety, Tomei underlined that the State of Qatar is the first country globally to endorse a decision that prohibits work in outdoor workspaces during the hottest peak time hours and months of the year which has dramatically helped avoid heat injuries, affirming that these injuries are not in the employers' interest.
Tomei emphasized the importance of creating joint committees with employers, through which delegates between the two sides are enabled to discuss the problems and challenges that happen in the workplace.
