The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee (Q22) said today that it will release its workers’ welfare standards aligned with Qatari law and international best practice by the end of this year.

The standards will set clear guidelines from recruitment to repatriation. Compliance with the law and Q22’s standards will be a contractual obligation for companies working on Q22 projects and will be transparently and robustly monitored through a three-tier compliance and auditing structure, a statement said.

The statement said Q22 had discussed yesterday with Amnesty International the conditions of labourers working on projects related to the 2022 Fifa World Cup Qatar.

The statement follows a report by Amnesty criticising the poor condition of expatriate workers in the country.

A productive discussion took place covering a range of topics, including the progress of the Q22 workers’ welfare standards and the formation of the Q22 worker welfare committee, the staement said.

It was agreed at the conclusion of the meeting that a constructive dialogue between the two organizations would continue in the years leading up to the World Cup.

Q22 has been meeting with relevant stakeholders and developing a plan for addressing worker welfare since winning the bid in 2010. In 2013, Q22 released its Workers’ Charter, the statement added.

"The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee values the contribution of the Amnesty International report and was pleased to see that it acknowledges:     The positive steps Q22 is taking to ensure contractors uphold human rights standards; Q22’s commitment to transparency with regard to the development and implementation of its Workers Welfare Standards; the responsibility for the welfare of workers is shared by all parties involved in the chain of contracting including the Government of Qatar, the governments of sending countries, recruitment agencies and the companies that utilise them," the statement added. - TradeArabia News Services