Qatar to implement labour reforms by end of year

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Khalid Al Attiyah has confirmed that new amendments to the Arabian Gulf nations’s labour laws will be in place by the end of the year.

With Qatar’s traditional ‘kafala’ sponsorship system much criticised by human rights groups and trade unions for the tough restrictions it places on migrant workers, Minister Al Attiyah told the Associated Press “(reforms are) on the right track, and it will happen. We are serious about doing reforms.”

In June, the Qatari Government said that laws governing the entry and exit of expat workers in Qatar were to be revised by the end of this year.

In a statement issued to media, the Government also pledged to clamp down on “dishonest recruitment practices” in the home countries of Qatar’s thousands of expat workers.

Minister Al Attiyah also slammed ongoing criticism of his country’s plans to hold the FIFA World Cup in 2022, stating that he was confident that the event would take place, despite a series of investigations being carried out by US and Swiss authorities into corruption at world football governing body FIFA.

Minister Al Attiyah said that the event would be “the best World Cup ever” and hinted that criticism of Qatar’s bid was motivated by racism.

He added "some parties cannot digest that a small, Arabic state ... is hosting such an event, as if our region, our Arab region is not entitled to have such an event.”

His comments follow those of Qatar’s former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani, who told Fox News in May that “I support, of course, Russia to have their turn in 2018. But if you see the talks, it's all about Qatar.

“Is it because it's an Arab, Islamic, small country? That's the feeling of the people in the region.”

Italian construction firm, Salini Impregilo Group, has secured a US$849 million for the construction of the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor for the FIFA World Cup.

The stadium deal includes the design and construction of one of the sports complexes in which the 2022 final football tournament will be played and was awarded by the governmental foundation Aspire Zone which is responsible for the development of sports infrastructure in the country.

The stadium, which will be able to accommodate 70,000 spectators, will have a built-up area of 200,000 metre²  with the construction contract also including an auxiliary building for security and administration.

The stadium, located about 50 kilometres north of the capital Doha, will be completed by September 2018, with a design inspired to the Bayt Al Sha'ar, the black and white tent traditionally used by nomadic people in Qatar.

A statement explained that the stadium will also provide "ideal climatic conditions both for the players and for the spectators.”

Image shows ow the interior of the Khalifa Stadium will look during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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