INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU)
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED CORE LABOUR
STANDARDS IN QATAR
REPORT FOR THE WTO GENERAL COUNCIL REVIEW OF THE
TRADE POLICIES OF QATAR
(Geneva, 21 and 23 February 2005)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Qatar has ratified only three of the eight core ILO labour Conventions. In view of
serious violations of all the core labour standards in Qatar (restrictions on the trade union
rights of workers, discrimination, child labour and forced labour), far-reaching measures
are required in order to comply with the commitments Qatar accepted at Singapore,
Geneva and Doha in the WTO Ministerial Declarations over 1996-2001, and in the ILO
Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Qatar has not ratified the ILO Convention on Freedom of Association or the
Convention on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining. Trade unions are
prohibited in Qatar. Collective bargaining is prohibited and employers set wages
unilaterally. The right to strike is recognised but severely limited.
Qatar has ratified the core ILO Convention on Discrimination, but not the
Convention on Equal Remuneration. Although some progress has been made, in particular
in access to education, there is significant occupational segregation in Qatar. In addition,
migrant workers are discriminated against, and experience lower wages and working
conditions than nationals.
Qatar has not ratified the ILO core Convention on Minimum Age, but did ratify the
Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Child labour occurs in family businesses
and in camel racing where children are used as jockeys. Education is free and compulsory
till the age of 18, although employment is allowed with parental consent from the age of 15.
However, discrimination between children of nationals and of migrants exists in education.
Qatar has ratified the Convention on Forced Labour but not the Convention on the
Abolition of Forced Labour. Forced labour is prohibited but does occur in some
circumstances where migrant workers are employed under conditions close to forced
labour. Trafficking occurs for the purpose of domestic servitude and forced prostitution.
Children have been trafficked into Qatar to be used as camel jockeys.
2
2
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED CORE LABOUR STANDARDS IN
QATAR
Introduction
This report on the respect of internationally recognised core labour standards in Qatar is
one of the series the ICFTU is producing in accordance with the Ministerial Declaration adopted
at the first Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) (Singapore, 9-13
December 1996) in which Ministers stated: "We renew our commitment to the observance of
internationally recognised core labour standards." The fourth Ministerial Conference (Doha, 9-14
November 2001) reaffirmed this commitment. These standards were further upheld in the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at
Work adopted by the 174 member countries of the ILO at the International Labour Conference in
June 1998.
Trade unions are illegal in Qatar and the ICFTU has no affiliate there.
Qatar is an oil-exporting country. In 2002, agriculture accounted for 0.4% of GDP,
industry accounted for 70.7%, of which manufacturing was 5.6%, and services accounted for
28.9%.
Total exports accounted for US$ 11,032 million in 2002, of which petroleum and
petroleum products accounted for US$ 4,546 million, and natural gas for US$ 4,170 million.
Total imports accounted for US$ 4,052 million in 2002. Exports of goods and services accounted
for US$ 11,682 million in 2002, whereas imports of goods and services accounted for US$ 6,138
million.
Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Economic Agreement. The
members of the GCC are Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates. Qatar participates in the GCC's free trade agreements and investment agreements. The
GCC states already signed an agreement with Lebanon, and are currently undertaking free trade
agreement negotiations with the EU and Japan, as well as with Syria, India, Singapore, Pakistan,
China and Jordan. In addition to the GCC, Qatar has signed economic and commercial
agreements with Egypt and Tunisia recently, and Qatar is negotiating a free trade agreement with
the US.
3
3
I. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining
Qatar has not ratified Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of
the Right to Organise or Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining.
Trade unions are prohibited in Qatar. Joint worker and employer consultative committees
can be set up to discuss working conditions, training and safety measures. These consultative
committees need prior approval by the government. The Ministry has to approve all members of
the committee and appoints a government delegate to observe the meetings.
Collective bargaining is prohibited and wages are set unilaterally.
The right to strike is recognised but severely limited. Civil servants and domestic workers
do not have the right to strike. Workers in public utilities, health and security services may only
strike if a strike would not harm the public or cause damage to property. In the private sector few
limitations on the right to strike exist, but strikes require a ruling on the dispute by the Labour
Department of the Ministry of Civil Service. Employers, on the other hand, have the right to lock
out or dismiss workers after such a ruling. Strikes and sit-ins do occur and have been frequent in
some years, such as 2003. The most frequent reason for strikes was non-payment of wages.
A new Labour Code was adopted in 2004, but revisions will be required to bring the
Code in line with ILO Conventions. A decree was also issued in 2004, establishing the rules for
the creation of a General Federation of Qatari Workers, however, no such federation exists yet.
Conclusions
Qatar has not ratified the core labour Conventions on the right to organise and right to
collective bargaining. Trade unions are not allowed in Qatar and collective bargaining is
prohibited. Although workers have the right to strike, this right is severely limited. However
strikes do occur, mainly over non-payment of wages.
II. Discrimination and Equal Remuneration
Qatar has not ratified ILO Convention No. 100 on Equal Remuneration, but ratified
Convention No. 111 on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) in 1976.
Severe inequalities exist on the basis of sex, race, nationality and religion, according to
reports by ICATU (the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions), submitted to the ILO
Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR).
The labour market is characterised by occupational segregation. In the public sector,
although employment levels of women in ministries have gone up, the overall level of female
participation remains low. Most women are concentrated in health and education. In 1999 only 3
4
4
out of 255 persons in the occupational group of managers, senior officials and legislators in the
public service, were Qatari women.
In the private sector, such as banking and insurance, women are almost absent in the
occupational group of managers and senior officials, whereas women are disproportionately
represented among clerks.
Information on training shows that women are concentrated in some specialisations such
as applied chemistry and biology, computer information technology, geographic information
systems, administrative information systems, nursing, office and secretarial work. Men are
mainly represented in electro-mechanics, communication, technology of construction, land
surveying and management, health monitoring and petroleum. There is a lack of women in
management training programmes.
Migrant workers make up three quarters of the workforce and are mainly employed in the
private and semi-private sector. They are often subject to abuse by their employers. ICATU
reported to the ILO CEACR in 2000 that there are differences in treatment between national
workers and foreign workers with regard to the content of their employment contracts. Many
migrant workers work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, with few or no holidays, no overtime pay,
and no effective way to file complaints. Non-payments or late payments are frequent, and in
some cases sexual or physical abuse occurs.
Conclusions
Labour market participation of women is low, and they are concentrated in clerical jobs
and in health and education. Migrant workers, which make up a large part of the working force,
are discriminated against, both in law and in practice.
III. Child Labour
Qatar has not ratified Convention No. 138, the Minimum Age Convention. It ratified
Convention No. 182, the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention in 2000.
Children between the ages of 15 and 18 years have the right to work with parental
consent. Some children work in family-owned businesses. Employers need to ask permission
from the Ministry of Education for hiring minors. Minors are not allowed to work more than 6
hours a day or 36 hours per week. Employment of minors can be prohibited in the case of
dangerous or unhealthy work. Law enforcement is lacking in the case of employment of noncitizen
children.
Some children are employed as camel jockeys for camel races. Many of them are
trafficked from African and Asian countries and some are as young as five years of age.
5
5
Education is free from primary school up to and including university level and
compulsory for citizens until the age of 18. Education for non-citizen children is free and
compulsory through primary school.
Conclusions
School is compulsory until the age of 18, but with parental consent children may work
from the age of 15. Many children work in family businesses, and some are used as camel
jockeys.
IV. Forced Labour
Qatar has ratified Convention No. 29, the Forced Labour Convention, in 1998, but has
not ratified Convention No. 105, the Abolition of Forced Labour.
Forced labour is prohibited by law, as are prostitution and the trafficking of people.
However, women from East and South Asia and Africa are trafficked into the country and forced
into domestic servitude and prostitution.
Trafficking of children occurs with a view to their exploitation as camel jockeys. Very
young children, aged between 4 and 15, are trafficked from Africa and from South Asian
countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. They are forced to become camel jockeys for camel
races, which severely prejudices the health and education of these children. The use of children
in camel racing can lead to serious injuries and some children are subject to mistreatment,
including deprivation of adequate food. A study by Anti-Slavery International showed that
during the 1990’s over 1,600 boys, most of them younger than ten years, were trafficked from
Bangladesh into the Gulf States, including Qatar.
Many migrant workers are employed under circumstances close to forced labour. They
depend on a single employer for residency rights and are vulnerable to abuses. Some employers
are not willing to give their necessary consent for exit permits for foreign employees. Nonpayment
of wages is frequent, in particular among unskilled workers and domestic servants.
Conclusions
Forced labour is prohibited but does occur in Qatar, in the case of many non-citizens.
Children are trafficked to work as camel jockeys. Women and girls are trafficked into the
country and forced to work as domestic servants or in prostitution.
6
6
Final Conclusions and Recommendations
1. The government should ratify and implement ILO Conventions No. 87 and
No. 98 on the right to organise and collective bargaining, and allow trade
unions to be formed and collective bargaining to take place.
2. The government should allow for the right to strike, including for civil
servants and domestic workers. The requirement of a ruling on a dispute, prior
to a strike by the Labour Department, should be removed.
3. The government should revise the new Labour Code and bring provisions in
line with the ILO Conventions. Furthermore, the government should not
hinder the creation of the General Federation of Qatari Workers.
4. The government should ensure equal treatment of migrant workers and
domestic workers, both in law and in practice. The government should ratify
and implement Convention No. 100 on Equal Remuneration.
5. The government should adopt a national policy to ensure non-discrimination
in employment. Furthermore, the government should increase efforts to train
women and girls, so as to increase their participation in occupations where
male workers are predominantly represented, as well as in senior and
management positions.
6. The government should ratify and implement Convention No. 138 on the
Minimum Age and prevent the illegal employment of children in family
concerns. The government must take effective measures to stop the use of
children as camel jockeys and to end child trafficking for that purpose.
7. The government has to take effective measures to stop trafficking of women
for the purposes of forced prostitution and domestic servitude, as well as
measures that will decrease the vulnerability of migrant workers who are
subject to abuses.
8. In line with the commitments accepted by Qatar at the Singapore, Geneva, and
Doha WTO Ministerial Conference and its obligations as a member of the
ILO, the Government of Qatar should therefore provide regular reports to the
WTO and the ILO on its legislative changes and implementation of all the
core labour standards.
9. The WTO should draw to the attention of the authorities of Qatar the
commitments they undertook to observe core labour standards at the
Singapore and Doha Ministerial Conferences. The WTO should request the
ILO to intensify its work with the Government of Qatar in these areas and
provide a report to the WTO General Council on the occasion of the next trade
policy review.
7
7
References
- ICFTU, Annual Survey on Violations of Trade Union Rights, 2003-2004
- ILO, Ratification of Core Labour Standards
- ILO, CEACR reports
- US Department of State, human rights country report, 2003
- World Bank country statistics
:
******************
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED CORE LABOUR
STANDARDS IN QATAR
REPORT FOR THE WTO GENERAL COUNCIL REVIEW OF THE
TRADE POLICIES OF QATAR
(Geneva, 21 and 23 February 2005)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Qatar has ratified only three of the eight core ILO labour Conventions. In view of
serious violations of all the core labour standards in Qatar (restrictions on the trade union
rights of workers, discrimination, child labour and forced labour), far-reaching measures
are required in order to comply with the commitments Qatar accepted at Singapore,
Geneva and Doha in the WTO Ministerial Declarations over 1996-2001, and in the ILO
Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Qatar has not ratified the ILO Convention on Freedom of Association or the
Convention on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining. Trade unions are
prohibited in Qatar. Collective bargaining is prohibited and employers set wages
unilaterally. The right to strike is recognised but severely limited.
Qatar has ratified the core ILO Convention on Discrimination, but not the
Convention on Equal Remuneration. Although some progress has been made, in particular
in access to education, there is significant occupational segregation in Qatar. In addition,
migrant workers are discriminated against, and experience lower wages and working
conditions than nationals.
Qatar has not ratified the ILO core Convention on Minimum Age, but did ratify the
Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Child labour occurs in family businesses
and in camel racing where children are used as jockeys. Education is free and compulsory
till the age of 18, although employment is allowed with parental consent from the age of 15.
However, discrimination between children of nationals and of migrants exists in education.
Qatar has ratified the Convention on Forced Labour but not the Convention on the
Abolition of Forced Labour. Forced labour is prohibited but does occur in some
circumstances where migrant workers are employed under conditions close to forced
labour. Trafficking occurs for the purpose of domestic servitude and forced prostitution.
Children have been trafficked into Qatar to be used as camel jockeys.
2
2
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED CORE LABOUR STANDARDS IN
QATAR
Introduction
This report on the respect of internationally recognised core labour standards in Qatar is
one of the series the ICFTU is producing in accordance with the Ministerial Declaration adopted
at the first Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) (Singapore, 9-13
December 1996) in which Ministers stated: "We renew our commitment to the observance of
internationally recognised core labour standards." The fourth Ministerial Conference (Doha, 9-14
November 2001) reaffirmed this commitment. These standards were further upheld in the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at
Work adopted by the 174 member countries of the ILO at the International Labour Conference in
June 1998.
Trade unions are illegal in Qatar and the ICFTU has no affiliate there.
Qatar is an oil-exporting country. In 2002, agriculture accounted for 0.4% of GDP,
industry accounted for 70.7%, of which manufacturing was 5.6%, and services accounted for
28.9%.
Total exports accounted for US$ 11,032 million in 2002, of which petroleum and
petroleum products accounted for US$ 4,546 million, and natural gas for US$ 4,170 million.
Total imports accounted for US$ 4,052 million in 2002. Exports of goods and services accounted
for US$ 11,682 million in 2002, whereas imports of goods and services accounted for US$ 6,138
million.
Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Economic Agreement. The
members of the GCC are Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates. Qatar participates in the GCC's free trade agreements and investment agreements. The
GCC states already signed an agreement with Lebanon, and are currently undertaking free trade
agreement negotiations with the EU and Japan, as well as with Syria, India, Singapore, Pakistan,
China and Jordan. In addition to the GCC, Qatar has signed economic and commercial
agreements with Egypt and Tunisia recently, and Qatar is negotiating a free trade agreement with
the US.
3
3
I. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining
Qatar has not ratified Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of
the Right to Organise or Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining.
Trade unions are prohibited in Qatar. Joint worker and employer consultative committees
can be set up to discuss working conditions, training and safety measures. These consultative
committees need prior approval by the government. The Ministry has to approve all members of
the committee and appoints a government delegate to observe the meetings.
Collective bargaining is prohibited and wages are set unilaterally.
The right to strike is recognised but severely limited. Civil servants and domestic workers
do not have the right to strike. Workers in public utilities, health and security services may only
strike if a strike would not harm the public or cause damage to property. In the private sector few
limitations on the right to strike exist, but strikes require a ruling on the dispute by the Labour
Department of the Ministry of Civil Service. Employers, on the other hand, have the right to lock
out or dismiss workers after such a ruling. Strikes and sit-ins do occur and have been frequent in
some years, such as 2003. The most frequent reason for strikes was non-payment of wages.
A new Labour Code was adopted in 2004, but revisions will be required to bring the
Code in line with ILO Conventions. A decree was also issued in 2004, establishing the rules for
the creation of a General Federation of Qatari Workers, however, no such federation exists yet.
Conclusions
Qatar has not ratified the core labour Conventions on the right to organise and right to
collective bargaining. Trade unions are not allowed in Qatar and collective bargaining is
prohibited. Although workers have the right to strike, this right is severely limited. However
strikes do occur, mainly over non-payment of wages.
II. Discrimination and Equal Remuneration
Qatar has not ratified ILO Convention No. 100 on Equal Remuneration, but ratified
Convention No. 111 on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) in 1976.
Severe inequalities exist on the basis of sex, race, nationality and religion, according to
reports by ICATU (the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions), submitted to the ILO
Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR).
The labour market is characterised by occupational segregation. In the public sector,
although employment levels of women in ministries have gone up, the overall level of female
participation remains low. Most women are concentrated in health and education. In 1999 only 3
4
4
out of 255 persons in the occupational group of managers, senior officials and legislators in the
public service, were Qatari women.
In the private sector, such as banking and insurance, women are almost absent in the
occupational group of managers and senior officials, whereas women are disproportionately
represented among clerks.
Information on training shows that women are concentrated in some specialisations such
as applied chemistry and biology, computer information technology, geographic information
systems, administrative information systems, nursing, office and secretarial work. Men are
mainly represented in electro-mechanics, communication, technology of construction, land
surveying and management, health monitoring and petroleum. There is a lack of women in
management training programmes.
Migrant workers make up three quarters of the workforce and are mainly employed in the
private and semi-private sector. They are often subject to abuse by their employers. ICATU
reported to the ILO CEACR in 2000 that there are differences in treatment between national
workers and foreign workers with regard to the content of their employment contracts. Many
migrant workers work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, with few or no holidays, no overtime pay,
and no effective way to file complaints. Non-payments or late payments are frequent, and in
some cases sexual or physical abuse occurs.
Conclusions
Labour market participation of women is low, and they are concentrated in clerical jobs
and in health and education. Migrant workers, which make up a large part of the working force,
are discriminated against, both in law and in practice.
III. Child Labour
Qatar has not ratified Convention No. 138, the Minimum Age Convention. It ratified
Convention No. 182, the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention in 2000.
Children between the ages of 15 and 18 years have the right to work with parental
consent. Some children work in family-owned businesses. Employers need to ask permission
from the Ministry of Education for hiring minors. Minors are not allowed to work more than 6
hours a day or 36 hours per week. Employment of minors can be prohibited in the case of
dangerous or unhealthy work. Law enforcement is lacking in the case of employment of noncitizen
children.
Some children are employed as camel jockeys for camel races. Many of them are
trafficked from African and Asian countries and some are as young as five years of age.
5
5
Education is free from primary school up to and including university level and
compulsory for citizens until the age of 18. Education for non-citizen children is free and
compulsory through primary school.
Conclusions
School is compulsory until the age of 18, but with parental consent children may work
from the age of 15. Many children work in family businesses, and some are used as camel
jockeys.
IV. Forced Labour
Qatar has ratified Convention No. 29, the Forced Labour Convention, in 1998, but has
not ratified Convention No. 105, the Abolition of Forced Labour.
Forced labour is prohibited by law, as are prostitution and the trafficking of people.
However, women from East and South Asia and Africa are trafficked into the country and forced
into domestic servitude and prostitution.
Trafficking of children occurs with a view to their exploitation as camel jockeys. Very
young children, aged between 4 and 15, are trafficked from Africa and from South Asian
countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. They are forced to become camel jockeys for camel
races, which severely prejudices the health and education of these children. The use of children
in camel racing can lead to serious injuries and some children are subject to mistreatment,
including deprivation of adequate food. A study by Anti-Slavery International showed that
during the 1990’s over 1,600 boys, most of them younger than ten years, were trafficked from
Bangladesh into the Gulf States, including Qatar.
Many migrant workers are employed under circumstances close to forced labour. They
depend on a single employer for residency rights and are vulnerable to abuses. Some employers
are not willing to give their necessary consent for exit permits for foreign employees. Nonpayment
of wages is frequent, in particular among unskilled workers and domestic servants.
Conclusions
Forced labour is prohibited but does occur in Qatar, in the case of many non-citizens.
Children are trafficked to work as camel jockeys. Women and girls are trafficked into the
country and forced to work as domestic servants or in prostitution.
6
6
Final Conclusions and Recommendations
1. The government should ratify and implement ILO Conventions No. 87 and
No. 98 on the right to organise and collective bargaining, and allow trade
unions to be formed and collective bargaining to take place.
2. The government should allow for the right to strike, including for civil
servants and domestic workers. The requirement of a ruling on a dispute, prior
to a strike by the Labour Department, should be removed.
3. The government should revise the new Labour Code and bring provisions in
line with the ILO Conventions. Furthermore, the government should not
hinder the creation of the General Federation of Qatari Workers.
4. The government should ensure equal treatment of migrant workers and
domestic workers, both in law and in practice. The government should ratify
and implement Convention No. 100 on Equal Remuneration.
5. The government should adopt a national policy to ensure non-discrimination
in employment. Furthermore, the government should increase efforts to train
women and girls, so as to increase their participation in occupations where
male workers are predominantly represented, as well as in senior and
management positions.
6. The government should ratify and implement Convention No. 138 on the
Minimum Age and prevent the illegal employment of children in family
concerns. The government must take effective measures to stop the use of
children as camel jockeys and to end child trafficking for that purpose.
7. The government has to take effective measures to stop trafficking of women
for the purposes of forced prostitution and domestic servitude, as well as
measures that will decrease the vulnerability of migrant workers who are
subject to abuses.
8. In line with the commitments accepted by Qatar at the Singapore, Geneva, and
Doha WTO Ministerial Conference and its obligations as a member of the
ILO, the Government of Qatar should therefore provide regular reports to the
WTO and the ILO on its legislative changes and implementation of all the
core labour standards.
9. The WTO should draw to the attention of the authorities of Qatar the
commitments they undertook to observe core labour standards at the
Singapore and Doha Ministerial Conferences. The WTO should request the
ILO to intensify its work with the Government of Qatar in these areas and
provide a report to the WTO General Council on the occasion of the next trade
policy review.
7
7
References
- ICFTU, Annual Survey on Violations of Trade Union Rights, 2003-2004
- ILO, Ratification of Core Labour Standards
- ILO, CEACR reports
- US Department of State, human rights country report, 2003
- World Bank country statistics
:
******************
Comments