Running Out The Clock in Qatar’s World Cup

Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup in just three short months. The twelve-year lead up to the tournament has been fraught with controversy surrounding the treatment of migrant workers, who make up approximately 95% of Qatar’s total labour force. Human rights advocates have continuously warned about the potential for forced labour, unsafe working conditions and unpaid wages since the announcement of Qatar’s hosting.

Many of these warnings have become a reality; advocacy groups have since found evidence of continued human rights violations, particularly in the construction sector. Amnesty International reported that workers have been unpaid for up to several years and required to pay costly recruitment fees. Others are forced to work for months without days off, sometimes in extremely high heat and humidity. Employers frequently operate under kafala sponsorship system, under which employers can control workers’ legal status and mobility through restrictive contracts, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation. In this environment, over 6,500 migrant workers died in Qatar since the World Cup bid was announced, according to a February 2021 Guardian report.

Qatar’s defensive plays

Qatar initially responded to these concerns in 2014 by launching mandatory labour standards for contractors working on World Cup projects.  In March 2021, the government made its biggest shot yet: the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations-backed agency which sets international labour standards, partnered with Qatar to issue a labour law reform package which aimed to end the kafala system, restrict workers’ exposure to high heat, establish a required minimum wage and place new regulations on overtime pay. The reforms also created visa centres in migrant workers’ origin countries to simplify recruitment processes and joint committees to facilitate worker participation in discussions on workplace issues.  

Missing the goal

Despite Qatar’s historic attempts to upend the labour market, advocacy groups argue that the implementation of the new laws has largely failed due to lack of enforcement. Amnesty International found evidence that employers circumvented the new laws to uphold the kafala system’s status quo of controlling workers’ mobility, wages and legal status. As a result, Qatar has continued to see significant migrant worker deaths and abusive labour environments. The situation escalated in August 2022, when Qatari police arrested at least 60 migrant workers for protesting unpaid wages from a construction and hospitality conglomerate.

Risks are growing

Although much of advocacy groups’ warnings have focused on the construction of World Cup facilities, risks of human rights violations have permeated other industries where migrant workers are present. Workers providing security for World Cup-affiliated hotels and other facilities have reported being threatened with salary deductions for taking rest days, fined for mistakes on the job and forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Migrant workers employed at FIFA-endorsed hotels reported multiple violations of Qatar’s new labour laws, including low pay and illegal recruitment fees. Advocacy groups have found that these industries have only made modest progress in conducting due diligence to ensure workers’ rights are respected.

The role of businesses

Companies have the responsibility to respect human rights. Given the severity of human rights risks associated with this World Cup, companies need to ensure their involvement with the tournament respects migrant workers’ rights and aligns with international human rights standards.

For those companies operating in Qatar, the Dhaka Principles for Migration with Dignity set out guidelines for the responsible recruitment and employment of migrant workers. To align their operations with best practice, companies must conduct adequate due diligence to ensure their own operations, as well as recruitment agencies and other contractors they work with, are not charging recruitment fees from workers, retaining passports, withholding wages, or creating unsafe work and living environments that could amount to forced labour. Performing interviews with migrant workers in their native languages, conducting onsite visits, and providing an effective operational-level grievance mechanism can facilitate this process. The companies should also provide remedy for workers affected by violations of the guidelines, which may include repayment of recruitment fees and associated costs. If implemented fully throughout the affected sectors, these steps would go a long way in creating a fair game for all.