On Indian workers deaths, Qatar says some progress in reforms, long journey ahead

The Committee, established by Qatar in 2011 and responsible for overseeing all construction and infrastructure projects for the World Cup, claimed there were “significant improvements in accommodation standards, health and safety regulations, grievance mechanisms, healthcare provision, and reimbursements of illegal recruitment fees to workers”.

At the same time, it said, there is “room for improvement”. “We recognise there is always room for improvement and work with global industry experts — including Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) — to continually enhance the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards, first introduced in 2014, and ultimately improve the lives of every worker contributing to our projects,” the Committee said.

A labour recruitment drive in Metpally, Jagtial district, Telangana. Around 200 people were interviewed for a job of cleaner at buildings to accommodate World Cup visitors.

The Committee said it is “committed to a policy of openness, transparency and engagement with the international community, including (but not limited to) Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International”.

“This is evidenced through our partnership with a global trade union confederate (BWI) for its affiliates to regularly inspect our sites and preside over Worker Welfare Forum elections. It is further supported through regular auditing and review by independent monitors (Impactt), resulting in an annual public report,” it said.

Workers remove bodies burried under debris at the construction site where Akhilesh Kumar and Surukanti Jagan died

In its questionnaire, The Indian Express had asked the Committee about the process it followed to register the death of a migrant worker, the number of workers who had died in Qatar over the last decade and the reasons for men of working age dying of “natural causes”. The Committee’s reply was silent on the issue of compensation and whether the cause of these deaths would be analysed.

However, it said the impact of Qatar’s “groundbreaking labour reforms must be acknowledged”. “The impact of the SC’s work in contributing to, and accelerating Qatar’s recent, groundbreaking labour reforms, and the significant progress implemented and recognised internationally — by both our partners and critics — must be acknowledged,” it said.