‘Some’ 2022 bid losers maligning image of Qatar

DOHA: Some private companies are manipulating their employee rosters by including names of Qataris who are not their staffers to show compliance with the state’s job quota requirement for nationals. Such practices are rampant in the private sector and the issue is being hotly discussed in the Qatari community, local Arabic daily Al Arab reported yesterday. Last year the then labour minister didn’t deny the accusations but said the practice was not rampant. He said that to check the practice, the ministry had drawn up a plan to ask the companies to provide their employee rosters with minute details. What jobs the Qatari employees are in, what kind of training has been provided to them and what their pay scales are, are details the ministry would insist from these companies. The plan would apply to companies that were targeted in the government’s job nationalisation drive, the daily said. Contacted, a top Qatari corporate executive said he was hearing this for the first time. He said companies that were mainly targeted by the state in its job nationalisation drive were listed. “It is wrong to expect that listed companies would ever manipulate their employee rosters,” said Nasser Al Khaledi, CEO of Qatar-Oman Investment Company. “They would never furnish bogus details.” He said it was possible some family-owned businesses might be resorting to such practices when denied visas to recruit foreign workers. “So you can’t blame them. When put this (meeting jobs quota requirement for citizens) as a condition for issuing companies visas to hire workers, they might be forced to manipulate their staff roster.” So some firms might include the names of some of their owners’ relatives in their employee rosters and show the government they indeed have Qatari staffers. “Realistically speaking, you can’t expect a family-owned company to employ Qataris and increase their salary overheads,” said Al Khaledi. One can’t expect family-owned firms to match the government’s pay scales and perks for its Qatari employees. Citing a report, Al Arab said banks, hotels, insurance providers and industrial firms were among those that showed increasing compliance with the jobs quota diktat of the government. The Chairman of the Central Municipal Council, Saud Al Hanzab, told the daily the State Cabinet should address this issue. Private firms do not want to pay higher wages as they are only concerned with profit-making, he said. “They must be reined in.” The daily said private firms mention in their advertisements for jobs that “preference” would be given to Qataris but that’s only for show. The Peninsula Tuesday, 19 November 2013 Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri DOHA: Qatar’s Attorney-General sees the hand of some unsuccessful FIFA 2022 bidders behind The Guardian reports of alleged abuse of migrant workers in the country. The reports carried in a series by the British newspaper might have been motivated and behind them could be “some” 2022 bid losers, Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri said. “So tell me how do we simply believe those reports?” Al Marri told Qatar News Agency (QNA) replying to a question about the labour issues raised by The Guardian. That’s the reason why the Public Prosecution has been asked (by the government) to look into these reports and investigate if they are based on truth. The reports claim that workers used to visit police stations but their complaints were refused to be lodged. “Well, the workers are still here in Qatar and that fact can be helpful in our investigation. They should be asked if what has been reported is true.” If the Guardian reports are based on truth, the investigations would tell that. “But if they are found to be fabricated, we will take legal action against those responsible,” said Al Marri. “I don’t see a problem. The workers are here, so we will investigate and get at the truth.” “And if we find that there was a conspiracy to malign Qatar and its image, legal action would be initiated.” Responding to a question about the Prosecution’s role in cases in which workers were found to be victims, the Attorney-General said some 3,000 cases were filed by Bangladeshi and Nepali workers against big companies and the rulings were in their favour. “What does this show? This reflects that there is total justice in Qatar. Our systems are based on justice. Remember that the owners of some of these companies are influential people.” However, if investigations reveal that there are faults in “our” system, corrective action would be taken, Al Marri said. Asked about when he thought the investigation would be completed, he said that would take months. “We have just begun the investigation,” said Al Marri, reiterating that they would reveal if there are faults on Qatar’s side. The Attorney-General had earlier opened a workshop at the Centre for Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption in Doha, of whose Board of Trustees he is the Chairman. The Peninsula