World Cup workers talk about heat and jobs in Qatar

Work twelve to fourteen hours a day in intense heat of up to 50 degrees. Protests could mean stopping wages and insurance that expires if you leave Qatar.

With just over five months until the start of the World Cup, two guest workers are now telling TT about working conditions in Qatar.

For Hanaf and Christian – both of whom asked not to be identified and have fake names – this is their first visit to Sweden. Originally from the Philippines and Bangladesh, respectively, they are present in connection with the Trade Union Building Conference in Arlanda to give a picture of working conditions in Qatar.

Because when international stars like Brazil’s Neymar or Argentina’s Lionel Messi meet in some of the World Cup arenas, it is Hanaf, Christian and their colleagues who build these, as well as all the infrastructure around them – roads, bridges, luxury hotels. The total cost is said to be up to $200 billion, according to various estimates.

Human suffering is as difficult to comprehend as astronomical calculations, with the deaths of just over 6,000 visiting workers reported, according to The Guardian.

The weather is harsh during the summer, very hot, its temperature is about 40 degrees, but sometimes it reaches 50 degrees. Ahnaf says you work every day of the week except Friday, and 12 to 14 hours can be a working day.

long trips

Then longer trips are included. Many migrant workers who come from Asian countries are housed in barracks and transported from there to construction sites themselves.

– Previously, it was like you didn’t get paid for the actual travel and two-hour travel can be an easy way, says Christian.

Both give a divided picture of the business condition. Both are veterans. Hanaf, for example, has lived and worked in Qatar for 14 years, and sees some improvements based on the fact that there has been an increased outside focus on the situation of migrant workers. At the same time, severe challenges remain in the labor law.

– On one occasion, a road was closed, where 5,000 migrant workers had not been paid for six months. Many of these do not know what applies and the embassies of the countries also do not know how many people live there or work in the country. The workers have been sent there by various agencies, Christian says.

Agencies have put in place systems to promise well-paid jobs to poor and unemployed residents in countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. What appears only much later is the fee to be paid to the agency.

– For example, for people from Bangladesh, the price is high, about 4000 dollars and with the salary paid after that, the problem becomes a problem. Lots of people borrow money and invest the last thing they have to get started. However, the fee does not act as a deposit, but the agent gives an incorrect picture, according to Ahnaf.

Despite protests against these conditions, it is very likely that they will not have any effect but instead make migrant workers end up out of the system and without pay.

Earlier this year, for example, human rights watchdog Human Rights Watch reported that workers in Al Bayt Square, which will host the opening match of the World Cup, were without pay for five months after the protests.

association

Ahnaf and Christian are both part of some form of informal association aimed at trying to help guest workers who have gotten into trouble. Even in this role, they face constant challenges.

When someone protests against their employer, it can take up to a year before something happens, and for the first three months you can be completely unpaid and life becomes completely miserable. Ahnaf says there are laws but a lot of improvement is needed.

However, neither of them is considering leaving Qatar, and once the World Cup begins, they are both in place, but not in the stands.

World Cup tickets are very expensive, they both say with a crooked smile.

– We hope to be able to follow the World Cup from some of the support areas that will be held around Doha.