Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company CEO Abdul Rahman Al Ansari
The new labour reforms announced by the Qatari government recently which are expected to benefit the country’s job market, are aimed at protecting the employers and employees and business leaders in the country are prepared to see them through, an official has said yesterday.
The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) recently announced a non-discriminatory minimum wage for all workers in Qatar, as well as the abolition of the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement for employees to change jobs.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company CEO Abdul Rahman Al Ansari, said the exact amount set for the minimum wage was based on several studies. And it will have little impact on companies which have already had similar standards for their employees in place.
“Qatar is highly dependent on expatriate labour force, especially more than 85-90 percent of our population are expatriates. The new labour reforms are good for the job market, for the employer and the employee. That is why it is very important to set clear standards that this is the minimum wage. The exact amount was based on several studies. Previously, some labourers were receiving a minimum wage of QR600 to QR750.
“But because of inflation, some companies have already increased their wages due to the rising cost of living. But now with the new labour reforms, it will be a clear standard for all companies that this is the minimum wage for all workers. We as the business people welcome this, because some of us are already paying more than that. We can support it without any effect to our operational cost,” Al Ansari said.
The government has set the minimum wage for all workers at QR1,000 for basic salary, in addition to QR500 for housing allowance, and QR300 for food allowance, if the employer is not providing for the workers’ food and accommodation.
Speaking about the scrappping of the NOC requirement, Al Ansari, who is also a member of the board at Qatar Chamber, also said that the new reforms are meant to protect both the employer and the employee.
“The new reforms will be a huge advantage in the movement of people in the job market and the utilisation of manpower in the country. This is very important and we are prepared for it. But everybody has to be protected. We as the employer can also change the contracts because for certain positions, we also have to be protected,” he added.
In a statement, QC Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, has said that the new labour reforms will enhance the competitiveness of the Qatari economy regionally and globally. He added that the new reforms will enhance competition and productivity in the labour market and contribute to the diversification of the local economy.
In a previous interview with The Peninsula, Houtan Homayounpour, International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Head of Project Office in Qatar, said that Qatar’s ambitious labour reforms agenda, including the non-dissriminatory minimum wage for all workers which is the first in the Middle East, will benefit not only the country’s workforce but the business sector; resulting to an expanding economy that attracts more foreign investments.
He said that Qatar’s business sector, which is fully supportive of the reforms, plays a fundamental role in the country’s labour reforms agenda. “We can try to support the government as much as we want. And the government can push forward the agenda as they have been doing.
But if the companies and the private sector is not behind it, it will take much longer and it will not be successful. We need everybody to be onboard, which is the case here in Qatar. And that’s why progress is taking place so quickly. The business sector is cooperating and we are partnering with the Qatar Chamber as well which is very much involved in this,” Homayounpour added.
