Construction union UCATT will be taking their campaign against the Qatar Government's treatment of migrant construction workers directly to the country's embassy.

The event which will take place at 8.30am on Monday 28 April, coincides with International Workers Memorial Day when workers vow "to remember the dead and fight for the living".

Steve Murphy, General Secretary of UCATT will be speaking at the protest.

As part of UCATT's protest they will be unveiling a banner which reads "Qatar: World Champions at Killing Workers". The plight of workers in Qatar has become increasingly high profile after the country was awarded the 2022 World Cup finals.

Hundreds of migrant construction workers die in Qatar every year. In the last two years, 500 Indian workers have died. Last year, 195 Nepalese deaths were reported, 123 of these were recorded as being due to cardiac arrest. Last month, UCATT undertook a fact finding mission to Qatar where they learned that deceased workers do not receive a post mortem and if the death was recorded as natural causes then no compensation is paid.


Mr Murphy said: "Hundreds of construction workers are dying in Qatar every year and nothing is being done to stop this carnage. The health and welfare of every worker is equally important regardless of where they are from and it is vital that huge international pressure is placed on Qatar to dramatically reduce deaths and improve the conditions experienced by migrant workers."

During their visit, UCATT met workers who were being paid less than £0.60 pence an hour, while being expected to work excessive hours, six days a week in temperatures up to 55 degrees in the summer. The levels of poverty pay is especially stark given that Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

The two million migrant construction workers (principally from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) in Qatar work under the kafala system which means they are bonded labour. The workers have their passports confiscated and cannot leave the country without their employer's permission. For many workers this means that they cannot return home for at least two years. The workers also have to pay up to £1,000 each before they are allowed to work in Qatar, which are often financed through loans at very high interest rates.

(CD)