International labour bodies hail Qatar's commitment to rights of workers

Doha: The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Building and Wood Worker's International (BWI) hailed Qatar's commitment to ensuring the rights of workers and the achievements it has made at the institutional and legislative levels to guarantee these rights.

At the opening session of the second conference on occupational safety and health today, the two organizations said that Qatar has made great strides in achieving international standards in the field of labour, promoting the rights of expatriate workers and providing an environment conducive to sustainable development.

Deputy Director General of Operations and Partnerships at the ILO Mousa Oumaro said that Qatar has worked hard to make arrangements for a safe working environment in the World Cup projects.

The joint technical cooperation programme signed by Qatar and ILO reflects the commitment to cooperate to ensure that the companies involved in the projects comply with the laws and resolutions protecting workers, he said.

He pointed out that on Sunday we will witness an important event which is the opening of a representative office of the ILO in Doha to strengthen cooperation and partnership with Qatar.

He also noted that the Occupational Health and Safety Conference in Doha coincides with the celebration of World Health Day. This event is an important event to remind thousands of people who sacrifice their lives for others and highlight the needs to improve the health and safety of construction workers and other projects.

He stressed that providing a healthy and safe working environment is the responsibility of states and governments, pointing out that thousands die every year because of the lack of a healthy and safe environment.

Secretary-General of the International Organization of Building and Wood Workers Ambit Yusen, congratulated Qatar for the achievements in the fields of labour saying: "The Organization looks forward to intensifying cooperation with Qatar to further achievements." Stressing that this event is a clear Qatari message to the world that Qatar is serious about ensuring a safe and healthy working environment.

"Qatar gives a strong signal that the safety of workers is a priority," he said. "With these efforts, Qatar joins the global movement in terms of workers' safety and security, many sites in Qatar adopt the best international security and safety procedures."

"The work environment for construction projects in Qatar has witnessed significant achievements and developments in order to improve working conditions and provide a safe and secure environment," said Vice President of BWI Dietmar Sheffers.

He referred to the visit of the delegation of the BWI to Doha three years ago to view the work sites and workers' housing. "Since then, we have witnessed an important development in terms of security and safety procedures, medical services and other services, and there is continuous contact with the work to inform them of new developments," he said  

"Qatar is moving ahead to apply safety and security standards in the construction sector and providing health services in line with international standards, and many achievements are being made and efforts are continuing in this regard," he added.