Nationwide statistics present 414 employee deaths over the eight-year interval. AP
Doha: Qatar’s high World Cup official stated Tuesday that greater than 400 migrant employees died in labour accidents within the nation within the years main as much as the match.
Hassan Al-Thawadi, head of Qatar’s supply and legacy organising committee, gave the determine of 400-500 in a British tv interview when requested what number of employees had died “doing work for the World Cup”.
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The organising committee stated his response referred to “nationwide statistics masking the interval of 2014-2020 for all work-related fatalities” in Qatar “masking all sectors and nationalities”.
It stated there have been 414 employee deaths over the eight-year interval.
Migrant employees make up greater than 2.5 million of Qatar’s 2.9 million inhabitants and labour circumstances have been strongly criticised — notably on the massive building initiatives which have remodeled the tiny Gulf state previously decade.
Qatar has by no means given exact figures for the variety of deaths of international labourers although it has denied claims by rights teams that hundreds died.
Authorities have insisted that solely 37 employees on World Cup initiatives have died — and solely three in work-related accidents — and Thawadi repeated this determine within the interview.
“One dying is a dying too many. Plain and easy,” Thawadi stated.
His feedback introduced new condemnation from rights teams, nevertheless.
“Over the past decade, hundreds of employees have returned dwelling in coffins, with no rationalization given to their family members,” stated Steve Cockburn of Amnesty Worldwide.
“Qatar’s excessive warmth and gruelling working circumstances are prone to have contributed to lots of of those deaths, however with out full investigations, the true scale of lives misplaced can by no means be identified.”
Underneath strain from worldwide unions, Qatar has undertaken reforms which have been praised.
It has dismantled its ‘kafala’ labour system which gave employers highly effective rights over whether or not employees may go away their jobs and even the nation.
It has additionally launched a minimal wage of 1,000 riyals ($260) and restricted hours wherein employees can exit in excessive warmth.
A collection of ministers who’ve been via Qatar for the World Cup in latest days, together with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have acknowledged the progress however stated extra should be finished.
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