Leading public institutions have pledged their support for national efforts to ensure the fair recruitment of migrant workers in Qatar as part of the innovative initiative launched by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, to ensure fair recruitment by public sector clients through public procurement procedures.

The pledges marked a commitment of the public sector to support the principle enshrined in Qatar’s Labour Law that “No worker should pay to get a job”, by consistently ensuring that payment of recruitment fees by employers is addressed during contract bidding, while exerting genuine efforts towards ensuring that all of our contractors actually do pay the recruitment fees and related costs. 

Amongst the organizations making public pledges were the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar Rail, Manateq, Qatar Museums and the US Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District. Other organizations can still sign the pledge until the end of the month.

On this occasion, H.E. Yousuf Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo, Minister of Administrative Development Labour and Social Affairs said, “The issue of fair recruitment is at the heart of our country’s labour reform agenda. I would like to commend the public institutions that have already signed the pledges on fair recruitment and recognize the contribution this will make to ensuring all workers arrive in Qatar debt free.”

The pledges were made at a conference entitled “Joining Forces to Ensure Workers do not Pay Recruitment Fees and Related Costs” held in Doha 20 May 2019. The event was organized by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA), in cooperation with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Qatar Foundation, the International Labour Organization Project Office for the State of Qatar and the United States Embassy in Qatar.

In his speech, Houtan Homayounpour, Head of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Project Office for the State of Qatar said, “ensuring that the payment of recruitment fees by employers is included and evaluated during contract bidding will give a clear signal to all contractors that recruitment fees and related costs should be borne by them. It will also create a level playing field for all companies.”

The conference will be followed by the establishment in July 2019 of a quarterly working group meeting of public sector clients, facilitated by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, which will focus on developing policies and tools to help address the problem of workers' payment of fees and deception at the recruitment stage.

Any company or organization wishing to receive more information about the pledge on Fair Recruitment should contact Alix Nasri at ILO on 66620904 nasri@ilo.org or Steve Needham on 50069011 needham@ilo.org