Impactt Ltd, the human rights experts responsible for auditing the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) Workers’ Welfare Standards (WW Standards) has released its first report which has identified high level of compliance with health and safety standards for workers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup project sites.
The first Annual External Compliance report on 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar construction sites looked at the impact the Workers’ Welfare Standards have on the 15,000 workers engaged on SC projects.
High levels of compliance were identified in areas including working conditions related to health and safety, contracts and administration, and living conditions — including accommodation and food, medical care and facilities management.
Impactt, however, also identified a number of areas in which the SC has room to improve. Specific issues of concern relate to reimbursing workers for recruitment fees paid to recruiting agents in their home nations, the provision of adequate personal documentation such as residence permits, and setting up robust employer-worker dialogue mechanisms.
SC Secretary General, Hassan Al Thawadi said it is another sign of the SC’s commitment to protect the workers building stadiums for the first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East.
“We have always believed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be a catalyst to accelerate positive initiatives already being undertaken in Qatar, leaving a legacy of enhanced, sustainable and meaningful progress around workers’ welfare," said Al Thawadi.
"While the findings clearly state there are challenges, they also demonstrate our continued commitment to this process," he added.
“We will do everything necessary to ensure the issues identified are dealt with promptly. We respect the diligence shown by Impactt during their audits and the constructive observations and recommendations made," he added.
The report said the SC has made "significant progress" since the Workers’ Welfare Standards were introduced while the contractors on the SC programme demonstrated an “impressive ability to improve”.
During 2017, SC’s Workers’ Welfare Division will aim to boost efforts to further enhance the recruitment process, introduce innovative cooling technologies to supplement existing summer working procedures and further enhance enforcement capabilities, said a statement yesterday.
