EAP is launching a new project to explore the issues surrounding the late and non-payment of wages to migrant construction workers. Building upon EAP’s previous research on improving employment standards in construction in Qatar, ‘Protecting the Wages of Migrant Construction Workers’ will explore this most pressing issue affecting migrant workers.
A key finding of EAP’s report on Qatar was that late and non-payment of wages is not only a major source of abuse and the issue of greatest concern to workers, but also a potential source of disruption and delay to projects and therefore a major risk to clients. The project will focus attention on this issue, deepen understanding of its causes, propose ways of addressing it and strengthen the incentives for action by industry participants and governments.
The project will work with construction industry leaders, clients, governments, human rights activists and international agencies through research and workshops, in order to focus their attention on the tacklingthe late or non-payment of construction workers’ wages. Through primary and secondary research, the project will produce a series of papers explaining employment relationships in the construction industry and the extent and causes of delayed wages, in addition to policies and actions that can be taken to address the issue and the incentives for change.
Dr Jill Wells, Project Lead and Senior Policy Adviser at Engineers Against Poverty, said: “When workers are not paid, it is a gross violation of human rights. High profile projects in the Gulf region and global sporting events have helped to raise awareness of the vulnerability of migrant construction workers. However, there has been less progress made in developing practical proposals to resolve the issue. We want to push for solutions rather than focusing on the problems.”
The first outputs of the project will be circulated later this summer so stay tuned for updates or catch up with EAP’s previous research in the field, ‘Improving employment standards in construction in Qatar’.