Saudi Arabia: BWI files ILO forced labour complaint ahead of 2034 FIFA World Cup bid amid 'epidemic' of migrant worker abuse
In a landmark case, Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) has filed a complaint against Saudi Arabia under Article 24 of the ILO constitution, amid widespread human rights violations against migrant workers in the country. Under Article 24, complaints can be filed by member states or workers' organisations based on failure to observe ratified conventions; in this case, the complaint focuses on Saudi Arabia's failure to observe ILO conventions on forced labour, which the country has ratified.
Saudi Arabia, where trade unions are banned, blatantly disregards international labour standards and fails to compensate migrant workers who have suffered abuses for over a decade. With FIFA’s decision on the 2034 World Cup bid looming and required construction of at least ten new stadiums and infrastructure, it is imperative for FIFA and Saudi Arabia to resolve the outstanding wages of over 20’000 workers for whom we have provided evidence, and to establish mechanisms that prevent any further abuse before even considering the bid. FIFA must stop placing itself above international labour norms and its own human rights statutory obligations.Ambet Yuson, BWI General Secretary
The complaint is based on triangulated evidence, including the abuse of 21,000 Nepali, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Filipino workers owed unpaid wages by two now bankrupt Saudi construction firms; evidence from a worker survey of 193 migrants interviewed in 2024, from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines; representative cases from eight migrant workers; and secondary research, including reports from rights groups, unions, civil society organisations and UN bodies.
In response to BWI’s complaint, numerous trade unions across the globe and human rights groups who have documented similar abuses have supported the call, including Amnesty International, Equidem, FairSquare, Human Rights Watch and Solidarity Centre.
The complaint comes amid expectations Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. BWI demands FIFA’s immediate attention to the case and calls for a thorough ILO investigation of the violations. BWI highlights FIFA’s own commitments to identifying and addressing human rights impacts through its own Human Rights Policy, adopted in 2017. The Guardian approached FIFA for comment.
The complaint says migrant workers in the country experience egregious and systematic rights violations, including conditions of forced labour. BWI’s survey of 193 workers, for example, found experiences of debt bondage (85% of respondents), withholding passports and identity documents (65% of respondents), restrictions on terminating or leaving contracts (63% of respondents), and wage theft (46% of respondents). The complaint conveys an "epidemic" of abuse in the country and stresses the need for timely remedy.
We suffered. We slept in a warehouse, with rats and mosquitoes. Begged for food. Forced to take odd jobs. Some of us were not able to be with our loved ones in time for their death. We had to suffer form cold and hot weather. Got sick without receiving medical care.Migrant worker on conditions in Saudi Arabia, interviewed in May 2024
In October 2024, BWI said FIFA had continually failed to engage with concerns over human rights risks in Saudi Arabia, two months before the Gulf state is expected to be confirmed as World Cup host in 2034.