All Work, No Pay: The Struggle of Qatar's Migrant Workers for Justice
Resumen
Fecha comunicada: 19 Sep 2019
Ubicación: Catar
Empresas
United Cleaning Co. - EmployerAfectado
Total de personas afectadas: 800
Trabajadores migrantes e inmigrantes: ( 80 - Kenia , Limpieza y mantenimiento , Gender not reported )Temas
Intimidación y Amenazas , Failing to renew visas , Wage TheftRespuesta
Respuesta buscada: Sí, por NGO
Medidas adoptadas: 80 out of over 800 impacted employees submitted a complaint to the Committee in March 2018; United Cleaning failed to attend three different mediation sessions at the Labour Relations Department. Workers were allegedly discouraged from pursuing their cases and were pushed to accept settlements. Many workers did get settlement decisions between September and December 2018, but United Cleaning had not paid owed salaries in full at the time of reporting.
Tipo de fuente: NGO
Resumen
Fecha comunicada: 19 Sep 2019
Ubicación: Catar
Empresas
Hamton International - EmployerAfectado
Total de personas afectadas: 900
Trabajadores migrantes e inmigrantes: ( Número desconocido - Bangladés , Construcción , Gender not reported ) , Trabajadores migrantes e inmigrantes: ( Número desconocido - Ghana , Construcción , Gender not reported ) , Trabajadores migrantes e inmigrantes: ( Número desconocido - Kenia , Construcción , Gender not reported ) , Trabajadores migrantes e inmigrantes: ( Número desconocido - Nepal , Construcción , Gender not reported ) , Trabajadores migrantes e inmigrantes: ( Número desconocido - Sri Lanka , Construcción , Gender not reported )Temas
Muertes , Intimidación y Amenazas , Derecho a la alimentación , Failing to renew visas , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Personal Health , Wage TheftRespuesta
Respuesta buscada: Sí, por NGO
Medidas adoptadas: Hamton officials failed to attend the mediation sessions facilitiated by the Labour Relations Department. In October 2018, Hamton's sponsor was arrested and promised to pay the workers within 10 days. However, he was released without doing so. In November 2018 around 500 workers were still living in the labour camp; some workers later accepted an offer of repatriation and a small fraction of owed wages in repayment from a relative of Hamton's sponsor. In December 2018 around 120 workers were still waiting to hear the outcome of their complaints and were still being pressured to return home with only a fraction of the owed wages. By April 2019 around 100 workers remained in Qatar, finally receiving judgments from the Committee for the Settlement of Labour Disputes in their favour. Hamton was ordered by the court to pay workers, but as of September 2019 had not done so.
Tipo de fuente: NGO
The new Committees are a potentially promising reform, aiming at reducing the barriers to accessing justice. If the system worked in the way intended and outlined in law, Committees would issue judgements on cases in just six weeks of a complaint being made and would be able to ensure that workers received remedy, for example by ordering employers to pay missing wages.
In some cases, migrant workers have seen the benefits. However, the reality for many migrant workers is much less rosy and the profound challenges still faced by workers seeking justice through the Committees – particularly lengthy processes and non-payment of compensation – are well represented in cases involving hundreds of workers that are highlighted in this report.