Ｗ杯控えるカタールの労働者、苦情トップは賃金未払い　国連

【ドーハＡＦＰ＝時事】国連の国際労働機関（ＩＬＯ）は１日、サッカーＷ杯カタール大会開幕まで１９日となる中で報告書を発表し、移民労働者からの苦情は増加しており、その大半を賃金の未払いが占めていると明かした。（写真はカタール・ドーハに設置されたサッカーＷ杯カタール大会のカウントダウン時計付近で働く労働者ら）
　ＩＬＯは、オンラインの相談プラットフォームを立ち上げたところ、労働者からの苦情は１年間で２倍となる３万４４２５件に増えたと述べ、人権問題への批判を受けてカタールが始めた改革をさらに加速させるよう呼びかけた。
　報告書の中で、ＩＬＯは「苦情の原因は主に賃金の不払いと契約終了時の手当、与えられなかったり、支払われなかったりした有給休暇に関するものだった」と述べ、さらに労働裁判に持ち込まれたものは１万５００件あり、そのほぼすべてで裁判官は労働者を支持したと続けた。
　一方で、カタールの酷暑に関連した問題で治療を受けた労働者の数は、２０２１年に新たな規制が導入された後は減少したという。この夏に四つの診療所が治療した労働者は３５１人で、２０２１年の６２０人、２０２０年の１５２０人から減った。
　ＩＬＯは、カタールが「大規模」な改革を行った結果「多くの労働者の労働・生活条件が改善」し、全土に影響していると述べた。その上で「労働改革を本格的に推し進めるには、さらに多くのことを行う必要があるというのが普遍的な認識だ」と記した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/11/02-15:43）

Unpaid wages dominate a growing number of complaints by migrant workers in Qatar, the UN labour agency said Tuesday, 19 days from the start of the football World Cup.
The International Labour Organization said worker complaints more than doubled in a year to 34,425 with the launch of a new online platform, in a report which called on Qatar to bolster the implementation of reforms launched after criticism of its rights record.
The main causes of complaints concerned non-payment of wages and end-of-service benefits, and annual leave not being granted or paid, said the report, which added that 10,500 cases went to labour tribunals where nearly all judges ruled in favour of workers.
The report said the number of workers treated for heat problems linked to the Gulf state's searing summer temperatures had also fallen after the introduction of new restrictions in 2021.
It said specialised clinic treated 351 migrant workers this summer, down from 620 in 2021 and 1,520 in 2020.
Qatar, where the World Cup starts on November 20, has been widely criticised over workers' conditions -- as well as rights for women and the LGBTQ community.
The ILO said Qatar has carried out significant reforms that have improved the working and living conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers and were having an impact across the Gulf region.
There is universal acknowledgement that more needs to be done to fully apply and enforce the labour reforms, said the report.
We all recognise that we are not yet at the finish line, and we will build on this solid foundation to address the gaps in implementation, and ensure that all workers and employers can fully benefit from these major reforms, said Ruba Jaradat, ILO regional director for Arab states.
- Germany talks -
The report came out as Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser met government leaders in Doha, days after her comments about rights in Qatar caused a diplomatic storm.
Faeser said Tuesday she would attend Germany's first World Cup game on November 23 after being given a guarantee of safety for LGBTQ fans.
Qatar, which has become increasingly frustrated over the criticism, had summoned the German ambassador last week after Faeser said Qatar's hosting of the World Cup was very tricky from Berlin's perspective.
A source involved in the meeting between Faeser and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Thani said her comments had been raised and that Qatar still viewed them as dismissive.
Rights groups have continued to put a fierce spotlight on Qatar's record, accusing the government of under-reporting the number of deaths on mega construction projects linked to the World Cup and demanding FIFA set up a compensation fund for migrant workers.
The ILO has said that 50 workers died on construction projects in 2020.
It did not update the figures in the new report, but stated that substantial efforts have been made in labour migration governance, the enforcement of the labour law and access to justice, and strengthening the voice of workers and social dialogue.
It said more than 300,000 workers had been able to change jobs after the partial dismantling of the Kafala labour system that previously meant a worker could not change posts or even leave the country without permission from their employer.
But it added: There is a universal recognition that the work is not complete. This is not surprising given their (the reforms') magnitude.
The ILO said that Qatar had requested that its project office in Doha -- set up after international unions made an official complaint about the country in 2014 -- become a permanent office, which would be the first in the Gulf.