Qatar introduces labour changes after rights criticism
Minimum wage set; curbs on employment transfer eased
Cairo: Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Sunday issued a decree setting a wage minimum for workers and domestic helpers, the Qatari news agency QNA said, after recent accusation against of labour exploitation.
The emir also issued a decree amending some stipulations in a 2015 law regulating the entry, exit and residence of expatriates, the agency added without details.
It said the changes will take effect on the following day of publishing them in the Qatari Official Gazette, without setting a date.
According to the new amendments, the minimum wage is set at 1,000 Qatari riyals, and expatriates are no longer required to get their employers’ permission to change jobs, local media said.
The Qatari Labour Ministry said the changes facilitate transferring employment. The ministry described the changes as an “important, positive step in a programme of labour reforms”.
The royal decrees were issued after Qatar has recently come under sharp criticism from international human rights groups over the bad conditions of migrant workers in the emirate, including withholding wages.