MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Qatar: situation of migrant workers
19.11.2013 - (2013/2952(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Cristian Dan Preda, Filip Kaczmarek, Gay Mitchell, Bernd Posselt, Ivo Belet, Michael Gahler, Tunne Kelam, Philippe Boulland, Eduard Kukan, Roberta Angelilli, Monica Luisa Macovei, Elena Băsescu, Petri Sarvamaa, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Giovanni La Via, Sari Essayah, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Seán Kelly, Krzysztof Lisek< on behalf of the PPE Group
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its resolution of 24 March 2011 on European Union relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council,
- having regard to the EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting in Manama, Bahrain on 30 June 2013,
- having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families of 18 December 1990,
- having regard of the announcement of FIFA on 2 December 2010 regarding the attribution of the venue of the 2022 Football World Cup to Qatar,
- having regard to Qatar ratifying the ILO Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour (C029) on 12 March 1998,
- having regard to the Decisions of the Qatari Minister of Civil Service and Housing on Applying Labour Law No. 14/2004 on regulating the conditions and procedures for issuing licenses to Qatar nationals wanting to employ foreign workers of 22 August 2005, and Qatar's Sponsorship Law No. 4 of 2009,
- having regard the mission statement by UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau on 10 November 2013,
- having regard to the report of Amnesty International on the situation of Qatar's construction workers ahead of the World Cup and the recent visit of its Secretary General to the country,
- having regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Qatar has a population around 2 million, and nearly 88% of the workforce are migrants employed largely in construction, services and domestic works; whereas giving this number Qatar has the highest ratio of migrant workers to domestic population in the world; whereas at least 0.5 million more migrant workers are expected in Qatar to accelerate the construction in preparation of the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar; whereas India and Nepal are the two main countries of origin of the migrant workers in Qatar;
B. whereas the International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that Qatar has not fully implemented yet the international convention banning the use of forced or compulsory labour which it has ratified in 1998;
C. whereas the Chairman of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee admitted that "there had been some problems" and pledged that he and the government were doing their utmost to put these right; whereas Qatari authorities announced that labour laws will be amended and accommodation for workers is being built;
D. whereas the ILO has established a tripartite committee to review the evidence and make recommendations to the Government of Qatar on how to comply with its international commitments;
1. Recognises the challenges facing the Qatari authorities in managing a national labour force that for nearly 90% is made up of migrant workers, as well as the practical challenges related to enforcing the law in this respect;
2. Calls on the Qatari authorities to ensure that labour standards (adequate health and safety work conditions and lodging, etc ) apply to all migrant workers, including the workers carrying out the infrastructural projects in preparation to the football World Cup 2022 in Qatar; calls on the Qatari authorities to effectively implement existing legislation, including by enforcing the prohibition against the confiscation of passports, prosecute violations and impose meaningful sanctions on companies and individuals who violate laws designed to protect migrants' rights;
3. Welcomes Qatari authorities’ commitment to adopt legislation on domestic workers that include meaningful labour rights’ protection and effective compliance mechanisms; calls in this respect the speedy adoption of the draft law on domestic workers that is currently being debated by the Supreme Council of Family Affairs;
4. Points out that the right of association and to self-organisation should be recognized for all workers, including migrants;
5. Calls on Qatari authorities to work closely with the relevant authorities of the countries of origin of migrant workers in order to monitor the role of recruitment agencies supplying migrant workers to Qatar;
6. Calls on the authorities to ensure appropriate detention conditions, and that all migrants deprived of their liberty have easy access to means of contacting their family, consular services and a lawyer, have access to an interpreter, and have the right to promptly challenge their detention;
7. Calls for the establishment of more shelters for migrant workers, with a special focus on shelters for women and children, suitable for their needs;
8. Welcomes the announcement made on 9 November 2013 of the construction of accommodation for 60.000 workers to be opened in December 2013;
9. Welcomes the proposal by relevant governmental authorities to conduct investigations into all allegations and the promise of the Qatari authorities to increase the number of labour inspectors who should monitor the enforcement of proper labour laws; reminds that labour inspectors should be well trained on human rights standards, and stresses the need of interpreters to be used in this process; urges Qatari authorities to prosecute those responsible for breaches of human rights;
10. Welcomes the announcement by the Qatari government of a blacklisting of companies that abuse migrant workers; welcomes the efforts carried out by the government and particularly by Qatar's National Human Rights Council, to raise awareness among migrant workers about their rights and duties; commends, in this sense, the decision by the NHRC to create a new centre to tackle migrant workers' complaints and address them;
11. Calls on Qatar to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and to ratify ILO Conventions, including on migrant workers, freedom of association, right to organize and collective bargaining, domestic workers and private employment agencies;
12. Welcomes the call of the international footballers' union, FIFPro, for independent workplace experts appointed by FIFA and the ILO to be given access to all sites and powers to make recommendations to ensure international labour standards are respected in Qatar;
13. Instructs its president to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the government and parliaments of the Member States, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UN High Commissioner for human rights, the Government and Parliament of the State of Qatar.