The United Nations labor body said on Sunday that Qatar, Saudi’s new labor laws, effectively ended the country’s’ Kafala employment system. This law has been criticized for a long time. The International Labor Organization (ILO) said that migrant workers can now change jobs before their contracts expire without obtaining permission from their current employers.
There are an estimated 2 million migrant laborers in Qatar. Most of the laborers working in Qatar are from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Qatar has a total population of 2.8 million. That is, Qatar has more than 27 lakh foreign workers.
The ILO said that Qatar has fixed an amount of 1,000 Qatari riyals (Rs 20,110) as minimum wage for the workers. It will take about six months for these laws to take effect. The ILO stated that under the Minimum Wages Act, employers will also have to pay an allowance in the event of non-availability of accommodation and food. Qatar is scheduled to host the Football World Cup in 2022 and before that it is considered a major labor reform.
