Neelam Rahim – neelam@radioislam.co.za

2 min read – 20:33 CAT

Qatar’s Minister of Labour Ali bin Samikh Al Marri met last week with several US Senate and House of Representatives members during his US tour.

They addressed measures to improve and deepen bilateral ties between Qatar and the United States of America, particularly about issues concerning labour.

Al-Marri briefed the US Congress members on the most recent changes to Qatar’s labour market. He explained that the Gulf state aims to keep up with developments in the global labour market, which are reflected in the workplace and to achieve the necessary balance between employers and employees.

He further emphasised that the Ministry of Labour is keen on collaborating with its counterparts and international organisations to improve labour legislation.

Palestinian Journalist & Reporter at Doha News, Hazar Kilani, told Radio Islam International Qatar introduced a minimum wage for workers last year. The country introduced the region’s first-ever non-discriminatory minimum wage law. Which is new to the GCC region in particular.

Over the last decade, Qatar has seen several historic labour reforms.

According to Hazar, Labour rights in Doha have been a big concern since Qatar won the world cup 12 years ago.

She said Qatar has been under scrutiny as there are labour abuses in the country. At the same, it comes from a very racist place.

“However there are improvements regards the labour rights in the country,” she says.

Listen below to the interview with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat and Hazar Kilani on Radio Islam’s podcast.