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Qatar - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Doha

 

CLIMATE

Desert climate; hot, dry, and humid and sultry in the summer.

 

LANGUAGES

Arabic (official), and English is commonly used as a second language.

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Qatar’s legal system is a discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented. Islamic law is significant in personal matters.

 

CURRENCY

Qatari Rial (1 USD = 3.64470 QAR as of May 15, 2002).

 

QATAR - COST-OF-LIVING

ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.

 

QATAR - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

U.S. Embassy at Doha

P.O. Box 2399

Doha, Qatar

Telephone: [974] 488-4101

Fax: [974] 488-4298

http://www.usembassy.org.qa/

 

Embassy of the State of Qatar at Washington D.C.

4200 Wisconsin Ave N.W.

Washington D.C. 20016

Telephone: (202) 274-1600

Fax: (202) 237-0061

 

QATAR - HOLIDAYS

 

QATAR - MINIMUM AGE

The law provides that minors between the ages of 15 and 18 may be employed with the approval of their parents or guardians, and some children work in small, family-owned businesses. Minors may not work more than 6 hours a day or more than 36 hours a week.

 

Employers must provide the Labor Department with the names and occupations of their minor employees. Employers also must obtain permission from the Ministry of Education to hire a minor. The Department may prohibit the employment of minors in jobs that are judged dangerous to the health, safety, or morals of minors.

 

(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Qatar – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

QATAR - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

There is no minimum wage, although the law provides the Amir with authority to set one.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Qatar – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

QATAR - REMUNERATION

ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.

 

QATAR - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

The right of association is limited strictly. The law prohibits all workers, including foreigners, from forming labor unions. The law provides for the establishment of joint consultative committees composed of representatives of the employer and workers. The committees do not discuss wages but consider issues such as organization, productivity, conditions of employment, training of workers, and safety measures and their implementation.

 

The law provides most workers with the right to strike, but only after their particular grievance has been ruled on by the Labor Department of the Ministry of Civil Service. Employers may close a place of work or dismiss employees once the Department has heard a complaint. The Department widely is perceived to be objective, particularly with regard to the most common complaints of foreign workers--the nonpayment of wages and poor living conditions.

 

The right to strike does not exist for government employees, domestic servants, or members of the employer's family. No worker in a public utility, health, or security service may strike if it would harm the public or lead to property damage.

 

The press actively reports on the increasing number of labor actions and grievances by foreign workers. The frequency of such strikes is steadily increasing. There was an average of two to three strikes per month during the year, usually in front of the Labor Department. Most strikes are held in protest of the nonpayment of wages and poor living conditions.

 

Since 1995 the country has been suspended from the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) insurance programs because of the Government's lack of compliance with internationally recognized worker rights standards.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

Workers are prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining. Wages are set unilaterally by employers without government involvement. Local courts handle disputes between workers and employers; however, foreign workers tend to avoid drawing attention to their problems with their employers for fear of being repatriated at the request of their employer.

 

There are no export processing zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor; however, foreign workers in some cases were employed under circumstances that constituted forced labor. Three-quarters of the workforce are foreign workers who are dependent on a single employer for residency rights. This leaves them vulnerable to abuse. For example, employers must give consent before exit permits are issued to any foreign employee seeking to leave the country. Some employers temporarily withhold this consent to force foreign employees to work for longer periods than they wish. In extreme cases, employers have deported employees at the end of their contract in order to avoid paying them the lawfully mandated end-of-service bonus. Unskilled workers and domestic servants are particularly vulnerable to nonpayment or late payment of wages. Although it is government policy to assist laborers seeking payment of late salaries due (usually through the Labor Department), small groups of laborers (10 to 20) resorted to illegal work stoppages to force payment of arrears. In one case, 1,500 employees of a local construction company went on strike to force payment of their wages.

 

The country is a destination for trafficked women and children (see Section 6.f.).

 

The Government prohibits forced and bonded labor by children; however, very young boys work as jockeys in camel races (see Section 6.f.).

 

d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment

 

The law provides that minors between the ages of 15 and 18 may be employed with the approval of their parents or guardians, and some children work in small, family-owned businesses. Minors may not work more than 6 hours a day or more than 36 hours a week. Employers must provide the Labor Department with the names and occupations of their minor employees. Employers also must obtain permission from the Ministry of Education to hire a minor. The Department may prohibit the employment of minors in jobs that are judged dangerous to the health, safety, or morals of minors. Child labor occurs. Very young children, usually of African or South Asian background, have been employed as jockeys in camel races (see Section 6.f.).

 

The law prohibits forced and bonded labor by children and generally enforces this prohibition effectively with respect to citizen children (see Section 6.c.).

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

There is no minimum wage, although the law provides the Amir with authority to set one. The average wage provides a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The law prescribes a 48-hour workweek with a 24-hour rest period, although most government offices follow a 36-hours-per-week work schedule. Employees who work more than 48 hours per week, or 36 hours per week during the Muslim month of Ramadan, are entitled to overtime pay. This law is adhered to in government offices and major private sector companies. It is not observed with respect to unskilled laborers and domestic and personal employees, all of whom, with scant exception, are foreigners. Many such workers frequently work 7 days per week, and more than 12 hours per day with few or no holidays, no overtime pay, and no effective way to redress grievances.

 

The Government has enacted regulations regarding worker safety, but enforcement, which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Energy and Industry, is lax. The Department of Public Safety oversees safety training and conditions, and the state-run petroleum company has its own safety standards and procedures. The law lists partial and permanent disabilities for which compensation may be awarded, some connected with handling chemicals and petroleum products or construction injuries. The law does not specifically set rates of payment and compensation. Workers who suffer work-related sickness or injuries receive free medical treatment provided by the Government. The law does not provide workers specifically the right to remove themselves from hazardous work conditions, and workers often hesitate to remove themselves from hazardous work conditions because of fear of dismissal.

 

Foreign workers may enter the country on a visitor's visa, but a sponsor then is needed to convert the visitor's visa to a work visa and the worker must have his sponsor's permission to depart the country. The Government also penalizes citizen employers who severely violate residence and sponsorship laws by prohibiting them from importing labor until they rectify the situation. The law provides any worker with the right to seek legal relief from onerous work conditions; however, domestic servants generally do not pursue such relief in order to avoid repatriation. Employers mistreated some foreign domestic servants. Such mistreatment generally involves the nonpayment or late payment of wages; in some cases it involves rape and physical abuse (see Section 5).

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

The law prohibits prostitution and trafficking in persons; however, there were reports that both children and women were trafficked to the country.

 

Children age 4-15, mostly of African, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi origin, are used as jockeys in camel races. Guardians and handlers, who often pose as parents, bring the children into the country and supervise their training. They live in difficult conditions and train on a daily basis to become riders.

 

The country also is a destination for trafficked women and girls. Women from East Asia, South Asia, and Africa travel to the country to work as domestic servants and some have reported being forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation.

 

The Government does not investigate or prosecute traffickers actively. The Government repatriates victims of trafficking upon discovering their presence and does not provide assistance to victims. It does not support public awareness campaigns regarding the problem of trafficking of women and girls. A national campaign to set the minimum age of 15 and minimum weight of 100 pounds for camel jockeys was undertaken in April. The Supreme Council for Family Affairs claims that it is a top priority, and it is the subject of an ongoing media and public awareness campaign.

 

QATAR - STANDARD WORKWEEK

The law prescribes a 48-hour workweek with a 24-hour rest period, although most government offices follow a 36-hours-per-week work schedule.

 

Employees who work more than 48 hours per week, or 36 hours per week during the Muslim month of Ramadan, are entitled to overtime pay.

 

Workweek is Saturday – Wednesday.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Qatar – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)