A report published by Amnesty International calls on Qatar and FIFA to pay compensation to workers involved in infrastructure works for this year’s World Cup.
Although it does not present a definitive value, the entity defends that, to begin with, FIFA set aside US$ 440 million (R$ 2.1 billion) for this.
This is the amount that the organization will distribute to the 32 teams participating in the tournament that will take place between November and December. Teams eliminated in the group stage must pocket at least US$ 10 million (R$ 48 million). The champion gets US$ 45 million (R$ 216 million).
“FIFA and Qatar have not protected migrant workers, who are essential for the 2022 World Cup, but they can act to compensate those who were seriously affected and the families of the many who died,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human. Rights Watch, another entity sponsoring the report.
The 60-page document “Predictable and preventable: why FIFA and Qatar should remedy abuses behind the 2022 World Cup” lists the humanitarian disrespects against migrant workers, the responsibilities of the country and the entity that runs football and asks for the payment of compensation.
THE Sheetthe Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, responsible for hosting the World Cup, said it has worked “tirelessly” to guarantee workers’ rights and that the tournament will be a catalyst for a human and sustainable legacy in Qatar.
Asked by the reporter about the report, FIFA did not respond.
“According to international human rights law, Qatar has an obligation to ensure compensation for every abuse committed on its territory, whether linked to the World Cup or not. FIFA’s responsibility is in line with the Guide to Business Principles and Human Rights of the UN, procedures expected of corporate entities, in which FIFA is included”, defends the text of the document.
The claim refers to the working conditions, accommodation, absence of labor rights and human rights to which migrant workers who traveled to Qatar were (and still are, Amnesty International says) were subjected to as workers on construction projects related to the Cup.
There are reports of illegal fees charged by intermediaries and companies for hiring, non-payment or improper withholding of wages, conditions similar to slavery, exhausting working hours in temperatures that can exceed 50ºC in summer and, especially, kafala.
This is the law that determined that the immigrant worker can only change jobs if the previous employer gives him a letter authorizing him. Qatar says kafala has been phased out, but reporting entities say it remains in effect at several companies.
Out of the country’s population of about 3 million people, only about 350,000 are Qataris. The rest are foreign. Much of it is concentrated in a region about 15 kilometers from the center of Doha, called Asian Town.
“I know a lot of people who work on the construction of stadiums. It’s hard work, but it’s a priority for the country. So, while they are doing works, there will be jobs. In the summer it’s very hard. The heat is unbearable”, said an immigrant who identified himself just like Koyakulty, visiting from Sheet to the neighborhood at the end of 2019.
Others lamented that despite having been essential for the construction of the stadiums, they will not be able to see the World Cup matches because of demand and the price of tickets. Their priority is to send resources to the families. In immigrant areas, the most prosperous businesses are those that transfer money abroad.
According to Amnesty International, “Hundreds of thousands of workers hired to make the World Cup possible paid exorbitant fees and were never reimbursed. Thousands of others were cheated on wages by abusive employers, forced to work excessive hours or subjected to forced labour”.
The organization of the tournament remembers having set up a scheme to return the money paid by immigrants. But, according to the report, only 2% of them got the refund. The average they spent was US$ 1,300 (R$ 6,200 at the current exchange rate) and they got back about US$ 700 (R$ 3,300).
Human rights organizations ask that an independent structure be set up to ascertain how many would be entitled to compensation and that the process be quick and transparent. Only then would it be possible to determine the overall value. The report estimated that “hundreds of millions of dollars” would be needed.
Qatar claims to have implemented labor reforms that are not properly recognized by some international bodies. In addition to the end of the kafala and the reimbursement of fees, he reports that he forced employers to cut working hours, improved the situation of workers in the summer and made arrangements for unpaid wages.
“The reforms of labor rights in Qatar arrived very late in the preparation for the World Cup, they are very insufficient and little respected. A large number of workers died because Qatar did not have a human rights framework to protect workers”, Monky contests. Worden.
A report by the British newspaper The Guardian says that by September 2021 about 6,500 employees in works related to the World Cup had died. The tournament organization disputes this number.
Amnesty International guarantees that paying compensation to workers, even if the number is in the hundreds of thousands, would not be a problem for Qatar and FIFA. The country’s sovereign wealth fund is valued at US$ 450 billion (R$ 2.16 trillion updated). About US$ 200 billion (R$ 963 billion) were spent on the works for the event. A city, Lusail, was built from scratch to host the opening match and the final.
It’s all part of a plan to establish the nation as a hub for tourism and sustainable development from 2030 onwards. The desire is to be less dependent on gas and oil extraction.
FIFA is expected to raise US$ 6 billion (R$ 28.9 billion) from this year’s World Cup. In its annual report, the entity wrote that it has a reserve fund of US$ 1.6 billion (R$ 7.7 billion).
Read the full response from the Supreme Committee on Delivery and Legacy below:
“The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) has been working tirelessly to ensure that the rights of every worker involved in the World Cup projects in Qatar are respected through dedicated workers’ welfare experts. Significant improvements have been made to accommodation standards, health and safety regulations, grievance mechanisms, health care provisions and refunds of illegal fees levied on these workers.
SC has worked closely with internationally renowned partners on its worker welfare program and they rightly acknowledge the significant work done by SC to ensure the rights of workers on World Cup projects are protected and have said publicly on multiple occasions that this work is becoming a reference in the industry and in the region.
This tournament is and will continue to be a powerful catalyst to deliver a sustainable human and social legacy before, during and after the 2022 World Cup.”
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