In a landmark case, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) is filing two formal complaints with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) against Saudi Arabia for severe human rights abuses and wage theft involving at least 21,000 construction workers by various but mainly two now-bankrupt Saudi construction companies alone.

The complaint emphasises the exploitative living and working conditions among the country’s vast migrant workforce: conditions that BWI notes are akin to forced labour. As Saudi Arabia positions itself to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, this complaint demands immediate attention from FIFA and the international community. FIFA is expected to receive the single bid for the 2034 World Cup host in July.

The complaint calls for a thorough ILO investigation into these violations, emphasizing the urgent need for remedy and adherence to international labour standards. In response to BWI’s complaint, numerous trade unions in South and South-East Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and human rights organisations who have identified and documented similar violations in Saudi Arabia are supporting this call to the ILO…

Among the many cases received by the BWI and other human rights organisations, findings based on direct evidence from around 200 migrant construction workers, paint a grim picture. Indicators of forced labour, as defined by the ILO, are rampant…