Qatar's long and controversial issues of exit visas have finally settled. The UN's International Labor organization announced that by the end of the year, Qatar migrated workers will get relief from the exit visa. They will be free to leave the country without written permission of their employs.
Why The Rules Needed Reformation?
The "Kafala" or the sponsorship system has existed in Qatar for a long time. It regulated the entry and exit of all the foreigners. The workers who have migrated from other countries need a permit to exit from the state. However, with the nearing of the 2022 World cup, it was getting tricky.
More than two million workers were already working on the world cup infrastructure both directly and indirectly. A lot of them were facing abuse to the work pressure. Some labors and human right groups even attacked the oil gulf due to its labor laws. Therefore, Qatar stepped up and decided to reform its rules.
The state also reintroduced its minimum wage value to 750 riyals per month. It has also agreed to work closely with the ILO to improve the labor conditions.
Progress And Background Of The New Regulations
According to the human right, everyone has the right to leave a country and return to his own country at any time. Qatar's exit visa rule was a clear violation of these fundamental rights. So, the oil state was facing the pressure of changing their laws.
However, due to the soccer world cup work, the amount of worker increased, and so did the rebellion against the rules. The human rights and organization ILO also stepped in to solve the issues.
In October 2017, Qatar joined hand with the international labor organization to introduce a better framework for labor. Qatar also made some commitments under the agreement. They said that they would soon be introducing a system for improving labor condition, occupational safety, and health facilities.
Finally, on September 4, 2018, Qatar's emir signed the new labor law bills and introduced the Law no 13. By the end of the next month, a majority of labors were relieved from the kafala system. Qatar says that the remaining workers will be getting relief from the old laws by the end of 2019.
The Rules That Are Still Applicable
Qatar may have removed the bound of visa permit, but it still has some laws to maintain the working cycle. The new rules still permit the employer to keep up to five percent of their workers. However, they will have to submit the name of the employees along with a justification and no objection certification.
Moreover, the workers still have to obtain consent from their employer before leaving or changing their jobs.
The Fun Run
The ILO, Qatar's Ministry of Administrative Development, the embassy of Netherlands, and some more organization conducted a run for the migrant workers. It was a 5-kilometer fun run to celebrate the reformation of the exit visa law. Approximately 1000 workers took part in the race to exhibit their happiness.
After the race, US charge d’affiars, William grant voiced and congratulated Qatar for the development in the labor laws.
The abolishing of the domination laws was a moment for all the labors and the organization associated with them. It was a moment of change for the whole Qatar, in fact, the entire world.
