Job Discussion Forums

[dragonpiwo]

It's ok to lie to a 'kafir'.

[Wilsonthefarmer]

[Geronimo]

The "Guardian" investigation has prompted a response...

"Qatari labour minister Saleh al-Khulaifi said the Gulf state would recruit more inspectors to mount raids and checks on companies
to ensure they comply with labour laws and hire more interpreters to speed up the treatment of complaints from foreign workers.

The move, announced on Monday, is the clearest admission yet from a senior official of serious problems in Qatar's handling
of its 1.2 million migrant labourers. It follows warnings that unless Qatar's punishing labour system is changed, at least 4,000 workers
could die before a ball is kicked at the World Cup.

Al-Khulaifi said Qatar took allegations of maltreatment very seriously, and told reporters:
"We will not hesitate to take necessary action to protect the rights of [the] expatriate workforce."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/30/qatar-crackdown-deaths-world-cup-construction

[tmac-100]

[rtm]

[veiledsentiments]

[tmac-100]

[Geronimo]

As FIFA's Executive Committee meets in Zurich today,

"Hassan al-Thawadi, the man in charge of Qatar's World Cup preparations, has insisted the tournament will not be built on "the blood of innocents" as organisers come under increasing pressure over the issue of workers' rights.

In the wake of a Guardian investigation that showed dozens of Nepalese had been killed in recent weeks alone and warnings from unions that the death toll could reach 4,000 before a ball is kicked if conditions do not improve, the chief executive of the Qatar 2022 supreme committee said the issue was their "top priority".

"This is not a World Cup being built on the blood of innocents. That is unacceptable to anybody and most definitely to ourselves," said Thawadi, who was in Zurich to deliver a progress report on the country's preparations.

The focus of a meeting of Fifa's executive committee was expected to be the shift of the 2022 World Cup to winter to avoid the searing heat of the summer, but Fifa insiders said the renewed pressure over workers' rights had changed the terms of the debate.

Unions protested outside Fifa House and called on world football's governing body to do more to pressure the Qatar government on the issue. The Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, is expected to address the topic on Friday at the conclusion of the two-day meeting.

Thawadi pointed to a workers' rights charter drawn up by the Qatar 2022 supreme committee and said it had been working with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty on the issue for some time.

He insisted that the decision to bring the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time would accelerate progress in improving the rights of the migrant workers who are fuelling the rapid development of the infrastructure required.

"It's important to note this is an issue the government itself is looking into – and the government was looking into this before the World Cup came on board," said Thawadi.....

....Human Rights Watch has called on Fifa to take practical, positive steps to ensure there is a legacy for migrant workers from the Qatar World Cup.

Nicholas McGeehan, a Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch, said Fifa should insist on a timetable for labour reform for all construction workers in Qatar, offer technical and medical assistance to the Qataris on the issue of heat-related deaths and abolish the exit visa system that has caused workers to be trapped in the country.

"For all the controversy over Qatar's selection to host the 2022 tournament, the scrutiny and pressure that the Qatari authorities are now under after the Guardian's reporting make genuine labour reform a possibility," he said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/03/qatar-world-cup-boss-migrant-workers

Will Sepp Blatter mention this labour reform issue?
Will Platini? We'll soon find out.

Geronimo

[Geronimo]

"...In a letter to Fifa released to the media, the 2022 organising committee chief executive, Hassan al-Thawadi,
said it considered the "findings presented by the Guardian newspaper to be of the utmost seriousness".

It said: "Our prime minister has personally stated to us his firm and resolute commitment
towards ensuring that genuine progress is made in the sphere of workers' welfare.

"The health, safety, wellbeing and dignity of every worker that contributes to staging the 2022 World Cup is of the utmost importance to our committee –
and the state of Qatar – and we are steadfastly committed to ensuring that the event acts as a true catalyst towards creating sustainable improvement for every worker in our country."

Blatter refused to threaten the Qataris with the loss of the tournament if the death toll was not reduced in the runup to the World Cup.
Instead, he reassured organisers that the tournament would take place come what may.

"You are looking to the future and I can't look to the future. I am going to Qatar now and we will put the situation of Qatar
with the situation we are facing with their responsibility," he said.
"We have plenty of time concerning Qatar but it is 2022, it is in nine years."

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/04/world-cup-2022-fifa-sepp-blatter-qatar-worker-deaths

And so, Sepp Blatter has spoken!

Geronimo

[Sydney2002]

Move to Oman, OP!

[Redcar24]

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/qatar-makes-arrests-british-teacher-killed-doha-184439323.html

Napoli workers also died over the summer over 150 to be exact and now this poor British Teacher... Well I will say it again it is time to made some needed changes...

[Redcar24]

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/world-cup-hosts-qatar-struggling-forced-labour-issue-122414485.html

Here is today's news clip posted on yahoo.com

[johnslat]

In case anyone's interested in signing:

"At one end of Kathmandu’s international airport, parents bid farewell to their sons leaving in search of better jobs, but the scene is very different at the arrival terminal where wailing parents are met with the bodies of those who died in Qatar¹.

Thousands of Nepalese workers are forced to work in 50C degree heat without access to food, water or pay. Over 1 million migrant workers could be at risk of modern slavery in Qatar between now and the 2022 World Cup unless action is taken now.

With the prestige of hosting the World Cup on the line, there has never been a better chance to push the Qatari government for change. If FIFA takes advantage of this opportunity, workers in Qatar could be protected from the nightmare of modern slavery for generations to come.

Tell FIFA to help ensure construction for the Qatar World Cup does not use slave labour."

http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1786&ea.campaign.id=23461&ea.tracking.id=taf

Thank you,

[1] http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/sep/25/qatar-nepalese-workers-poverty-camps

Regards,
John

[Geronimo]

"Russia Today" carried a report on the German filmakers
who were detained in Doha ....

http://rt.com/news/qatar-german-cup-workers-265/

[Redcar24]

(Reuters) - Soccer's governing body FIFA has said that it cannot intervene in the case of French footballer Zahir Belounis, who says he is trapped in Qatar because he cannot obtain an exit visa following a dispute with his club.

"FIFA is unable to intervene in this matter given that Mr. Belounis chose the option of contacting an ordinary court in Qatar instead of the second option available to refer to FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC)," said FIFA in a statement.

"Furthermore, we would like to point out that FIFA has to date received no contractual claim from Zahir Belounis against his Qatari club as well as any accompanying documentation to support his case."
The plight of the 33-year-old Frenchman is the latest controversy involving 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar following an outcry over the treatment of migrant workers in the country's construction industry.
The international players union FIFPro wrote to FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Wednesday saying that it remains "deeply concerned about Belounis' precarious situation" and calling for urgent intervention.
It said that Belounis is stranded in Qatar, with his wife and two daughters, and being denied an exit visa until he agrees to drop a legal case against his former club, Al-Jaish, over his claim of almost two years' unpaid wages.

"Without income for a prolonged period and forced to sell off most of personal possessions, Belounis and his family are said to be living in an apartment with no furniture which they must vacate in a matter of days," said FIFPro.

FIFPro said Belounis joined Qatari side Al-Jaish in 2007. He later extended his contract until June 2015 but from November 2011 the club stopped paying his salary.
The club, it said, then put him under pressure to terminate his contract and sign a document confirming he was owed nothing by Al-Jaish. Belounis refused, concerned his signature would invalidate any claim.
"FIFPro is aware that there are many more players (and coaches) who are experiencing similar conflicts with Qatari clubs," added the Dutch-based union.

(Reporting by Brian Homewood; editing by Justin Palmer)

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/fifa-unable-intervene-belounis-case-115004721--sow.html