EAP’s report on Improving Employment Standards in Construction in Qatar was launched at a roundtable meeting in Doha last month.

The report makes a series of practical recommendations aimed at improving conditions for workers. They include making it mandatory for workers to be paid electronically via bank accounts.

Most construction workers in Qatar are paid ‘cash in hand’. As a result they find it difficult to prove if they have not been paid or if they have been paid late.  Payment of wages via bank accounts would provide an audit trail that could help the workers seek redress.

To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, two leading banks, the Commercial Bank of Qatar and Doha Bank, made presentations at the roundtable meeting. Both currently provide banking services for low income workers.

The roundtable meeting was held in conjunction with Constructing Excellence and it was chaired by Stephen Lines, Regional President of the Chartered Institute of Building.   The meeting was considered the first of its kind in Qatar as it brought together 30 key stakeholders including clients, project managers and contractors to discuss the solutions required to improve the conditions of migrant workers in Qatar.

The publication was widely reported in the media including The Guardian and Gulf Times.