Qatar
(asked on 17th November 2014) - View Source
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reported cases of abuse against North Korean workers in Lusail City, Qatar; and what steps they are taking to ensure that Qatar meets its International Labour Organisation obligations and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
This question was answered on 27th November 2014
We are aware of reports that state-run North Korean bodies have been expropriating large proportions of their workers’ salaries earned in Qatar. We take the issue of the treatment of migrant workers very seriously. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), recently raised human rights issues with the Qatari government during his visit to Doha on 15 October, and the issue of migrant workers was raised with the Emir of Qatar during his visit to the UK on 28-30 October. We support Qatar’s intention to reform the current labour law. We continue to encourage the Qatari government to address human rights concerns and stand ready to support those efforts where we can.
We are aware of reports that state-run North Korean bodies have been expropriating large proportions of their workers’ salaries earned in Qatar. We take the issue of the treatment of migrant workers very seriously. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), recently raised human rights issues with the Qatari government during his visit to Doha on 15 October, and the issue of migrant workers was raised with the Emir of Qatar during his visit to the UK on 28-30 October. We support Qatar’s intention to reform the current labour law. We continue to encourage the Qatari government to address human rights concerns and stand ready to support those efforts where we can.