Rajab Maatouk, secretary general of the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions, said in a press statement on Thursday that Qatar never respected the rights of Arab or foreign workers.
“It has a black record,” he said, calling for serious action against Qatar at the Arab Labor Conference that is held in Cairo next April. “Qatar is not eligible to preside the conference.”
“Qatar did not commit to its obligations toward the confederation nor made any effort to improve its policies toward workers,” he said, adding that even the International Labor Organization wrote to Qatar to that effect.
He pointed out that the confederation expressed before its deep concern about the illegal practices foreign workers in Qatar are exposed to. “International reports reveal that Qatari business owners do not provide a safe work environment for workers,” he said.
He added that many foreign workers died in Qatar or were seriously injured, yet the Qatari government ignored them.
“Qatar does not respect international conventions,” he added.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
