Do you want to work as a domestic worker in Qatar? If so, then you need to be aware of your rights. Fortunately, the government of Qatar has a recent law protecting the rights of domestic workers. This law is called Qatar Law No. 15 or the “Domestic Worker’s Law.”
The Domestic Worker’s Law is approved by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. He ratified the Law No. 15 on home-based service workers, and was adopted as law by the cabinet last February, 2017. It deals with the protection of all domestic workers and ensuring that their well-being are taken cared of by the employers. The law applies to all types of employees doing domestic-related work, including drivers, nannies, cooks and gardeners.
What are your Rights as a Domestic Worker in Qatar?
Qatar has more than 200,000 domestic workers, and it is just fitting for the country to have a law that upholds domestic worker rights. The government also aims to truly be able to enforce the law and provide sanction against those who violate it.
1. Minimum Requirements for Domestic Workers
QATAR: Domestic Workers’ Rights https://t.co/usEs4vZmMl
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According to the law, domestic workers should only work up to ten hours per day maximum. This requirement prompts employers to treat their domestic workers in a way that preserves their dignity. This also emphasizes that employers treat their workers in such a way as to uphold their right to be free from acts against their body without consent.
2. Medical Treatments for Injuries
The Domestic Worker’s Law also requires employers to make it their responsibility for domestic workers to get medical treatment when they are sick or are injured. The law also requires employers to provide work injury compensation. In relation, the law prohibits employers from exposing their employees to physically or morally dangerous situations.
3. Three-week Leave for Domestic Workers
The law also requires employers to entitle domestic workers with a three-week leave. In relation to this, if a domestic worker is sick, the employer cannot force them to work. Domestic workers are also guaranteed to have breaks when they need to eat meals or worship.
4. End-of-service Benefits
When the contract of domestic workers ends, they will also receive end-of-service pay. The total amount they will receive depends on the number of years they served. For each year they serve, they get a minimum of three weeks’ worth of wages.
5. Other Provisions
In terms of payment, the law requires employers to pay the domestic worker at the end of every month, in Qatari Riyals. However, this may extend to up to the third day of the consecutive month. The employer also needs to prove that he has deposited the salary in the domestic worker’s bank account, or given it by hand in cash with receipt, if ever he is called to provide such proof.
The domestic workers’ law has around twenty four sections, all aimed at providing the domestic worker with suitable working conditions, treating them well, and allowing them regular leaves and rest days. This law is definitely a step in the right direction towards a progressive labor law which benefits not just the employees but also the employers, and society in general.
DISCLAIMER: The topics presented in this article are for information-sharing purposes only. They may be used as a personal guide, but they should not be used as a basis for actual labor concerns or legal proceedings. To learn more about the Qatar Law No. 15 which relates to domestic workers, visit the Qatar Government Portal Official Website.