Qatar Lifts Exit Visa System; Workers Can Now Leave Without Permits
Doha, Qatar : Qatar amended its residency laws on Tuesday to allow foreign workers to leave the country without exit permits from their employers, a provision which labour rights groups have long said should be abolished.
Doha is keen to show it is tackling allegations of worker exploitation as it prepares to host the 2022 soccer World Cup, which it has presented as a showcase of its progress and development.
Most migrant workers would be able to leave the country without having to obtain permits from their employers under the law, said the International Labour Organization in a statement via its Doha office.
The ILO hailed the move as a "significant step" for gas-rich Qatar, which committed last year to introducing sweeping labour reforms, including changes to the exit visa system.
"The ILO welcomes the enactment of Law No. 13, which will have a direct and positive impact on the lives of migrant workers in Qatar," said Houtan Homayounpour, the head of the ILO office in Doha, which was set up in April.
The official Qatar News Agency confirmed the adoption of Law No. 13, saying it amended "certain provisions" of previous laws regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates. It did not specify which provisions or offer details on the changes.
Labour and rights groups have attacked Qatar for its "kafala" sponsorship system, which is common in Gulf states where large portions of the population is foreign.
Qatar's system still requires the country's 1.6 million mainly Asian foreign workers to obtain their employers' consent before changing jobs, which the groups say leaves workers open to abuse.
The government's other pledged reforms include introduction of a minimum wage and a grievance procedure for workers.
courtesy : ndtv.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Farmers in Chincholi demand better MSP, accuse sugar factory owners of not fulfilling assurance
Kalaburagi: Members of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) and the Taluk Raitha Hitarakshana Samiti protested outside the Siddasiri Ethanol Power Unit in Chincholi, demanding appropriate minimum support price (MSP) to sugarcane farmers in Chincholi.
Pointing out that it was decided at the meeting chaired by District In-charge Minister Priyank Kharge on November 15 to provide farmers an MSP of Rs 2,950 per tonne of sugarcane with an additional Rs 50 as support price from sugar factory owners, the protesting farmers also demanded that the decision be implemented.
“The Siddasiri sugar factory owner has violated the agreement by paying each farmer only Rs 2,550,” the farmers have alleged.
President of the KPRS Kalaburagi District Unit Sharanabasappa Mamashetti said, “When he opened the factory, legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal had assured that the factory would pay farmers in Kalaburagi an additional Rs 100, but has failed to live up to the word.”
The protesting farmers have demanded that the authorities concerned give priority to sugarcane farmers of Chincholi and Kalagi taluks to support the sugarcane crop. “Also, the factories should employ local youngsters and due measures should be taken to ensure the safety of the drivers of sugarcane transport vehicles,” they said.
They also handed their memorandum to Tahsildar Subbanna Jamakhandi and Power Ethanol Unit General Manager Dayananda Banagara.
The Tahsildar has assured that a meeting with the sugar factory owners would be held to discuss the issues raised by the farmers.
