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QNA
Doha
The latest amendments to the law regulating the entry and exit of expatriates complemented the legislations and reforms that guarantee the rights of workers and make Qatar a pioneer in the region in protecting the rights of workers, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs HE Dr Issa bin Saad al Jafali al Nuaimi has said.
In a joint press conference on Thursday, Nuaimi and Director General of the General Directorate of Passports Brigadier General Mohammed bin Ahmed al Ateeq said the new amendments guarantee the entitlement of the expatriate workers who are subject to the provisions of the labour law for the final or temporary leave without the prior consent of the employer, except for a percentage not exceeding 5 percent specified by the employer.
He said the law allowed the employer to determine the proportion of not more than 5 percent of the total workforce of the company who require prior approval for exiting the country.
If the applicant is not allowed to leave the country for any reason, he or she may refer to the expatriate exit complaints committee which decides on the complaint within three working days, he added.
Close cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs in the implementation of the law will ensure its full application, he noted.
Nuaimi said the two ministries will conduct awareness campaigns for companies, institutions and employers in coordination with Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry on procedures and controls to determine the proportion of 5 percent of employees requiring their prior approval.
He said the package of legislation includes wage protection system, the formation of the committee on the settlement of labour disputes, and the committee of complaints of entry and exit of expatriates, along with the fund to support and protect workers.
Nuaimi said with this advanced legislative system, Qatar has become an attractive environment for labour force, which positively reflects the quality of work and increase production.
He pointed out that the recent amendments to expatriates entry and exit law received international praise.
This system of legislation related to foreign workers preserves the rights of the parties'"migrant worker and employer", and guarantees both to resort to the competent committees specified by the law in case of breach of labour contract from any party, he added.
For his part, the Director General of the General Directorate of Passports Brigadier General Mohammed bin Ahmed al Ateeq referred to the role of the Ministry of Interior in implementing the law and the efforts exerted by the ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.
He said the two ministries have formed task forces to develop a mechanism to facilitate procedures and simplify them to implement the law with its new amendments.
Ateeq added that in cooperation with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce, the two ministries will organise awareness campaigns to clarify this law and introduce the rights and duties of the worker and the employer in light of the new amendments.
