NOVANEWS
It is in the best interests of Qatar and Fifa to improve the appalling working and living conditions of labourers.
The 6am change of shift on a construction site in Qatar. Photograph: Amos Chapple/Rex
That at least 400 labourers have died on Qatar‘s building sites as the nation’s prepares to host the World Cup in 2022 is a source of global concern. Alarmingly, the number, to be announced by a human rights organisation this week, is only a fraction of the true number of lives lost. It relates to Nepalese workers whose deaths have been documented by labour welfare groups. The number of deaths of workers from other countries such as Bangladesh and India remains opaque.
One death is one too many. But when the numbers reach the hundreds and, with some predicting that they will be in their thousands by the time the event is staged in 2022, this is a matter that needs urgent attention.
In response to growing concerns, the Qataris have issued new guidelines to contractors in a bid to improve the working conditions of labourers;Fifa has pledged to make regular site visits.
But it is legitimate to question the appetite of both the Qataris and football’s ruling body to bring any substantive changes, given that the Gulf state operates a system of kefala under which workers are tied to their employers, a form of feudalism that was anachronistic in the 18th century, never mind the 21st. This state-backed form of exploitation was well documented when Qatar was bidding to host the World Cup and yet Fifa appeared to have little interest in how the stadiums would be built.
Labour organisations have visited Qatar and tell of workers being denied basic safety equipment, sanitation and even water. Their terrible working conditions are all the more outrageous given that football and Qatar are not short of money. And here perhaps there is some ground for hope. Mounting outrage about the plight of the workers threatens the World Cup’s reputation and may prompt potential sponsors to walk away, fearing their brands will be tarnished by association. Qatar – and Fifa – urgently need to understand that it is in their best interest to end the death toll.
• The introduction to this article was amended on 16 Feb 2014 to make it clear that 400 Nepalese workers have died on construction sites across Qatar, not just on World Cup stadia sites
One death is one too many. But when the numbers reach the hundreds and, with some predicting that they will be in their thousands by the time the event is staged in 2022, this is a matter that needs urgent attention.
In response to growing concerns, the Qataris have issued new guidelines to contractors in a bid to improve the working conditions of labourers;Fifa has pledged to make regular site visits.
But it is legitimate to question the appetite of both the Qataris and football’s ruling body to bring any substantive changes, given that the Gulf state operates a system of kefala under which workers are tied to their employers, a form of feudalism that was anachronistic in the 18th century, never mind the 21st. This state-backed form of exploitation was well documented when Qatar was bidding to host the World Cup and yet Fifa appeared to have little interest in how the stadiums would be built.
Labour organisations have visited Qatar and tell of workers being denied basic safety equipment, sanitation and even water. Their terrible working conditions are all the more outrageous given that football and Qatar are not short of money. And here perhaps there is some ground for hope. Mounting outrage about the plight of the workers threatens the World Cup’s reputation and may prompt potential sponsors to walk away, fearing their brands will be tarnished by association. Qatar – and Fifa – urgently need to understand that it is in their best interest to end the death toll.
• The introduction to this article was amended on 16 Feb 2014 to make it clear that 400 Nepalese workers have died on construction sites across Qatar, not just on World Cup stadia sites
