(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs will soon launch a hotline service to receive complaints from workers about employers failing to comply with the new wage protection system, a senior ministry official has disclosed.
Law No. 1 2015 issued in February this year made it mandatory on all employers to transfer salaries of their employees to a financial institution.
Khalid Al Ghanim, Director of Labour Inspection Department at the ministry said that wage protection and monitoring section will start monitoring companies once the six-month grace period given in the law is over.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an event at Industrial Area held by the ministry yesterday to mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work which falls on April 28.
"The section will monitor the transfer of salaries. Currently we are training employees on how to implement this and preparing to conduct an awareness campaign among workers. There will be a hotline for workers to lodge complaints," Al Sharq quoted Al Ghanim as saying.
Once a complaint is received, the inspection section will immediately deal with it to protect the workers interests. There will be proper investigation to check whether the complaints are genuine, he added.
The ministry is continuously increasing the number of inspectors to conduct regular inspections in all work facilities.
Officials from the ministry, the Directorate of Civil Defence, Supreme Council of Health (SCH), Qatar Red Crescent and the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) attended the event, along with some 500 workers from about 100 companies and leaders of different expatriate communities.
Addressing the gathering, Al Ghanim said that the Qatari law has made it mandatory on all companies to implement occupational health safety requirements in all workplaces including proper lighting, ventilation, potable water, fire-fighting equipment, among others. The place should be free from dust and smoke. The companies should provide workers comfortable accommodation and protect them from being exposed to accidents and health risks.
The ministry conducts regular inspections to ensure that companies meet all the said requirements. "If we detect some violations, we take the required measures by closing the site fully or partially until the risk is removed," said Al Ghanim.
He said the rapid economic developments in the country have created new challenges in terms of occupational safety. "We need to train workers in the best way to keep accidents at the minimum and avoid occupational diseases," said Al Ghanim.
Mohammed Al Meer, Director of Labour Relations at the ministry said during the first quarter of this year, the ministry received 2,050 complaints from workers, 80 percent of which were solved amicably.
Some 20 percent of the complaints remain unresolved because the complainants didn't make the necessary follow up. Some complaints were referred to the Ministry of Interior to complete procedures for repatriation of workers while some were referred to the judiciary.
Workers can lodge complaints at different branches of the ministry or through its call centre service which is available in seven languages. More languages will be added to the service, he added.
The ministry will keep the information confidential so that the complainant will not be subject to any harm by the company. The official said workers' complaints are reducing due to increased awareness among employers.
Dr Sheikh Mohamed Al Thani, Director of Public Health at SCH said more than 6,300 deaths happen in the world every day due to work site accidents and occupational diseases.
Book launched
He said SCH is conducting a variety of activities on the International Workers Day which falls on May 1 including free medical check up for workers and training workshops on fire fighting and first aid.
Chairman of the Qatar Chamber Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani launched a book on Qatari achievements in occupational safety, which sheds the light on the state's commitment to the rights of labour in construction projects and ensuring a proper standard of living.
The book reviews the achievements of Qatari institutions in safety and occupational health and shares it with social partners who are keen on shouldering their responsibilities to promote safety and occupational health and maintaining the safety and health of labour as a genuine resource of the country. The book was launched a ceremony organised by Qatar Chamber to mark World Day for Occupational Safety and Health yesterday.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani said on the occasion that under the leadership of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has witnessed strong economic growth, which requires skilled labour. Qatar understand that taking care of labour force will have a positive contribution on development, he added.
The Peninsula
Guide on occupational safety launched
Doh a: The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning yesterday launched a guide on occupational health and safety to mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. It includes guidelines to reduce work site accidents during construction, maintenance and demolitions, in line with the Qatari labour law.
The guide lays down standards and specifications at worksites and surrounding areas including side-walks and also deals with working hours, traffic movements, transportation of materials to the work sites, emergency work, working near the schools etc.
It includes specifications related to stairs, lifts, handling of heavy equipment, lights, sounds, use of exclusive materials at work sites, air quality, hazardous material and polluting material, management wastes and sewage water and fighting insects.
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