Qatar World Cup project contractor suspended over unpaid wages
DOHA, June 15, 2020
Qatar has suspended Qatar Meta Coats (QMC), a company working on the 2022 World Cup project, following an Amnesty International investigation into unpaid wages, reported Global Construction Review.
The probe found that Qatar Meta Coats (QMC) failed to pay around 100 employees for up to seven months while they carried out façade work on the 60,000-seater Al Bayt stadium, near Al Khor area in Doha, it stated.
The amounts owed to workers ranged from QR8,000 ($2,195) to QR60,000 (16,467), said the report.
The company also failed to renew many residency permits of its workers, most of whom come from Ghana, Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines, it added.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which organises the World Cup, said soon after learning about the unpaid wages last year it had arranged for three months’ worth of salaries to be handed over and added that the rest would follow.
Meanwhile, QMC was told to suspend all its World Cup operations until the outstanding wages had been paid, said the GCR report.
The company was also fined and sold to new owners who would be issuing residency permits and health insurance, it added.