Agence France-Presse
Posted at Nov 19 2021
Fifty migrant workers died in Qatar last year and over 500 were seriously injured, the UN's International Labor Organization said Friday, as the Gulf nation readies for the 2022 World Cup.
The report comes amid criticism of working conditions for hundreds of thousands of migrant laborers -- including those who built the stadiums for the World Cup.
The ILO report, entitled "One is too many", said that the top cause of fatalities were falls -- with most happening at the workplace.
Qatar, which has made a series of labor reforms since being selected to host the football tournament, welcomed the report saying it "highly values" its collaboration with the ILO.
"Severe occupational injuries were most commonly caused by falls, followed by road traffic injuries, falling objects and machinery," the report read.
"Thirty (deaths) occurred pre-hospital and 20 occurred in hospital," it added, which ILO says is the most comprehensive picture ever of work-related deaths in the country.
The ILO said that there were 506 recorded severe injuries -- an average of 42 a month -- with 37,600 people suffering mild to moderate injuries.
Most of those injured came from Bangladesh, India and Nepal, and worked mainly in the construction industry.
The report said it also identified gaps in data collection.
"It's not collected in a systematic way," said Max Tunon, head of the ILO project office in Qatar, with the report calling for a "national integrated platform" to collate injury data.
"Another key recommendation is to better investigate death that hadn't been categorized as work-related -- but could be work-related," Tunon said.
Qatar welcomed the report, saying it reflected its commitment to transparency on labor rights, and was reviewing the recommendations.
"Qatar... will continue working with the ILO to ensure that labor reforms are implemented effectively, and that Qatar is continuously improving labor practices and increasing safety for all workers," a government statement read.
Qatar has issued a string of reforms to its employment regulations since being selected to host the World Cup, including introducing a $275 monthly minimum wage and simplifying the process for changing employers.
More than two million foreigners work in Qatar, many employed directly or indirectly on vast infrastructure projects for the World Cup.
Reuters
-November 19, 2021
Qatar has faced scrutiny over worker conditions in the run-up to it hosting the 2022 World Cup next year. (AP pic)
DOHA: Qatar is not adequately investigating and reporting worker deaths including unexplained fatalities among seemingly healthy labourers, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said today.
The small but wealthy Gulf state, where foreigners make up the majority of the population, has faced scrutiny over worker conditions in the run-up to it hosting the 2022 World Cup next November.
Data collected at government-run trauma centres and ambulances in 2020 showed 50 workers died and more than 500 were severely injured, the ILO said.
“Most were suffered by migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Nepal, mainly in the construction industry. Falls from height and road traffic accidents were the top causes of severe injuries, followed by falling objects on worksites,” the report said.
The ILO said numbers could be higher as authorities don’t classify all work-related deaths as such, including unexplained deaths among healthy workers and heat-related fatalities.
That data gap should be addressed, with better injury investigations, Max Tunon, head of the ILO’s Qatar office, told Reuters.
In August, Amnesty International criticised Qatar for failing to investigate thousands of unexplained deaths.
A widely-reported Guardian newspaper analysis in February concluded 6,500 South Asian migrants had died in Qatar since 2010.
However, Tunon cautioned that Qatar worker death data is frequently reported without necessary nuance.
“The (Guardian’s) number includes all deaths in the migrant population … without differentiation between migrant workers and the general migrant population, let alone fatalities that resulted from occupational injuries,” the ILO said.
Qatar has introduced several labour reforms in recent years, including tougher rules designed to protect workers from heat and raising the minimum wage.
“No other country has come so far on labour reform in such a short amount of time, but we acknowledge that there is more work to be done,” the Qatar government press office said, adding it was reviewing the ILO recommendations.
DOHA: Qatar is not adequately investigating and reporting worker deaths including unexplained fatalities among seemingly healthy labourers, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said today.
The small but wealthy Gulf state, where foreigners make up the majority of the population, has faced scrutiny over worker conditions in the run-up to it hosting the 2022 World Cup next November.
Data collected at government-run trauma centres and ambulances in 2020 showed 50 workers died and more than 500 were severely injured, the ILO said.
“Most were suffered by migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Nepal, mainly in the construction industry. Falls from height and road traffic accidents were the top causes of severe injuries, followed by falling objects on worksites,” the report said.
The ILO said numbers could be higher as authorities don’t classify all work-related deaths as such, including unexplained deaths among healthy workers and heat-related fatalities.
That data gap should be addressed, with better injury investigations, Max Tunon, head of the ILO’s Qatar office, told Reuters.
In August, Amnesty International criticised Qatar for failing to investigate thousands of unexplained deaths.
A widely-reported Guardian newspaper analysis in February concluded 6,500 South Asian migrants had died in Qatar since 2010.
However, Tunon cautioned that Qatar worker death data is frequently reported without necessary nuance.
“The (Guardian’s) number includes all deaths in the migrant population … without differentiation between migrant workers and the general migrant population, let alone fatalities that resulted from occupational injuries,” the ILO said.
Qatar has introduced several labour reforms in recent years, including tougher rules designed to protect workers from heat and raising the minimum wage.
“No other country has come so far on labour reform in such a short amount of time, but we acknowledge that there is more work to be done,” the Qatar government press office said, adding it was reviewing the ILO recommendations.
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