VZCZCXRO3652
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDO #0460 1780951
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260951Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8012
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0197
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0339

UNCLAS DOHA 000460 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB PGOV PHUM QA
SUBJECT: QATARI PRIVATE COMPANIES CONTINUE ABUSING LOW-PAID 
LABORERS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Over 400 Nepalese laborers were detained 
May 29 by the Qatari Ministry of Interior's Criminal 
Investigation Department (CID) over a labor dispute with 
their employer, Trace Electronics.  Despite legal protections 
for foreign workers, this incident demonstrates that private 
companies in Qatar continue to abuse low-paid workers without 
fear of legal repercussions. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Nepalese workers employed by Trace Electronics 
collectively submitted to their employer May 14 a written 
request for salary increases and improvements to their 
housing facilities.  The laborers asserted that their living 
quarters were in poor condition due to a shortage of working 
toilets and air conditioners and generally crowded 
conditions.  The Nepalese workers also forwarded a copy of 
their request to the Nepalese Embassy.  On May 28, after 
Trace Electronics, management failed to act on their 
request, the Nepalese laborers went on strike, in violation 
of provisions of Qatar's labor law governing strikes. The 
following day, May 29, over 400 laborers were detained by CID 
at the request of Trace Electronics. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Following discussions between the Nepalese Embassy 
and Trace Electronics, management, CID released June 3 most 
of the detained employees.  However, 33 Nepalese laborers, 
presumably the leaders of the strike, remained in jail 
pending their expected repatriation to Nepal despite their 
expressed willingness to return to work under the terms of 
their original contract.  These 33 laborers are still 
awaiting deportation as of this writing.  The above events 
are consistent with the standard resolution of labor 
conflicts with Qatari companies.  Striking laborers are 
typically arrested and a majority of them released a few days 
later once the strike leaders have been identified and 
deportation proceedings against them initiated. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Domestic workers of foreign origin in Qatar are 
subject to abuse on an individual basis as well.  On May 30, 
for example, the Indian Embassy, working through the Indian 
Community Benevolent Fund (ICBF), recounted two incidents of 
domestic labor abuse to the Qatari government.  Both involved 
personal drivers, one of whom was physically assaulted by the 
sponsor.  ICBF, which provides care packages to detained 
laborers facing deportation proceedings, has worked with the 
Indian Embassy to bring to the host government's attention 
other egregious cases.  According to ICBF sources, only a 
small number of cases of which it is aware are raised with 
the Government of Qatar. 
 
¶5. (U) The GOQ has begun taking action against companies that 
violate labor laws.  An article from the English-language 
Peninsula newspaper, dated June 7, reported that the Qatari 
Labor Department issued citations to 48 firms the week of May 
18 for violations. Common violations were the withholding of 
wages and failure to provide housing assistance to employees. 
 Employers in some instances were also cited for violating 
health and safety regulations.  According to the press 
report, the citations are a result of increased inspections 
by the authorities to ensure that local companies are 
complying with labor laws.  However, Qatari labor law does 
not stipulate what penalties can be taken against cited 
companies for labor law violations.  According to the 
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, enforcement was carried 
out under the direction of the Assistant Undersecretary of 
Labor and resulted in hundreds of actions intended to force 
compliance with labor laws.  However, the legal justification 
for the citations remains unclear, as do the details of what 
sanctions were imposed on violating companies. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: Qatari labor laws grant workers a right to 
strike only under very restrictive conditions that, in 
practice, make it unlikely that a strike will ever be 
considered legal, as was the case here. Nevertheless, from 
time to time foreign workers stage ad-hoc strikes seeking 
redress for grievances.  The prohibition on labor committees 
and unions in Qatar for anyone but Qatari citizens 
exacerbates the problem, since there are no legal and viable 
channels to address such grievances. Embassy Doha does not 
intervene in cases of non-Americans, but we do raise unfair 
and unlawful labor practices across the board with the GOQ in 
an effort to promote lasting solutions consistent with 
international norms and standards. 
RATNEY