Wage Protection System: inadequate to deal with level of abuse

DESPITE THE MEASURES INTRODUCED TO MONITOR PAYMENTS AND HELP WORKERS SEEK REMEDY,

MANY MIGRANT WORKERS CONTINUE TO FALL VICTIM TO WAGE THEFT BY THEIR EMPLOYER

The ILO office in Doha stated in its 2020 report that it lodged complaints with MADLSA on behalf of 1,896 workers and assisted a further 7,420 workers. This amounts to over 9,000 workers who have faced “a wide range of workers’ issues”.107 Of these, unpaid wages remain one of the most common abuses. The 2021 figures have not yet been published but reliable figures shared with Amnesty International suggest that the number of cases heard at the Committees for this year could be even higher.

Complaints received by Amnesty International and other organizations such as Migrant-Rights.org, as well as interviews with workers reveal a variety of examples of wage theft.108 These include delayed salaries, unfair and arbitrary deductions, inadequate overtime pay and, for domestic workers and others who do manage to leave their employer, a denial of the end-of-service benefits they are legally entitled to.109

In 2020, the ILO reported that the Wage Protection System had been expanded to cover 96% of eligible workers and 94% of enterprises. The system was reportedly able to detect a broader range of wagerelated violations, including payment below the minimum basic wage and the new threshold for food and accommodation allowances. At least 58 companies “deemed at high-risk” were blocked from accessing government services and this number considerably increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.110

Additionally, the government introduced in 2020 new legislation imposing stricter fines on employers who withhold wages,111 but implementation remains unclear, despite Amnesty International requesting this information from the government.112

In its reply to Amnesty International, MADLSA stated that the Wage Protection System unit had accelerated imposing bans on abusive companies, preventing them from using the Ministry’s services, and that more cases were referred to the police. However, it did not provide any information about the number of complaints received and action taken.113

Domestic workers continue to be excluded from the Wage Protection System despite earlier promises to include them.114 This makes it extremely difficult for the government to monitor payment of their wages and take remedial action when needed.

107 ILO Progress report 2020, p. 8. 108 See for example, Migrant-Rights.org, Letters to MR, https://www.migrant-rights.org/series/letters-to-mr/ 109 Complaints received by Amnesty International over email and interviews conducted remotely and in Qatar between April and October 2021. 110 ILO Progress report 2020, p. 3-4. 111 Article 145/bis of Law No 18 of 2020 increased the penalties for breaching article 66 of Labour Law related to the monthly payment of wages from one month prison and/or fine between QR2,000 (around US$550) and QR6,000 (around US$1,650) to one year prison and/or a fine between QR2,000 (around US$550) and QR100,000 (US$27,565). 112 Amnesty International letter sent to MADLSA on 21 September 2021. 113 GCO letter to Amnesty International, 4 October 2021. On file with Amnesty International. 114 Technical cooperation programme agreed between the Government of Qatar and the ILO (2018–20), p.31.