By Sita Sharma, Kathmandu, Mar. 22: In Qatar, the minimum wage has been raised to 1,000 Riyals (Rs 30,000) and this provision has come into effect from March 20. 

With the implementation of this new provision, Nepali and other migrant workers in Qatar will be benefited.

Even though the announcement to increase the pay scale was made six months earlier the Ministry of Administrative Development Labour and Social Affairs, Qatar (MADLSA) but has been implemented just recently.

The Qatar government said that even though the government has made the binding arrangement to increase the lower pay scale but more than five thousand companies had already implemented it even before the announcement.

Now, the Qatar employer companies will have to provide 1000 riyals as the minimum wage for the foreign migrant workers employed in Qatar.

As per this new order, the employer company needs to mention this newly formed minimal pay scale provision in the employment contract as well.

A total of 4.5 lakh migrant workers employed in Qatar will be benefited from this new arrangement.

Dr Ganesh Gurung, a foreign employment expert said that this new arrangement of increasing the minimum pay scale and provision of other several facilities will benefit many migrant workers, said 

"If this labour-friendly initiative by Qatar will be emulated by other gulf countries then it will provide assistance to many foreign migrant workers working in the Gulf," he added.

Qatar has been precluding many good efforts over the past three-four years in favour of migrant workers. Earlier, the Qatari government had implemented a legal provision to change employers in the interest of workers.

A total of 78,000 migrant workers have been able to take advantage of it, with the implementation of the law, in the last four months of 2020.

Similarly, Qatar had changed its housing law in 2018 to allow people to leave the country without an exit visa.

Qatar has shown concern over migrant workers after the announcement of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Dr Gurung said that Qatar was forced to raise salaries because human rights groups had taken a hard stance at the rights and interests of workers there, and, also because of the fear and pressure that no untoward message may go around the world about migrant workers in Qatar.

Previously, the lower pay scale was 800 Riyals. It has been estimated that this provision of increasing the lowest pay scale would attract many migrant workers to Qatar.

Under the new law, the company will have to provide food and accommodation for the workers separately, while according to the new law, 300 riyals will be provided for food and if the accommodation is not provided, an additional 500 riyals per month will have to be paid to the workers.

In September 2020, the ministry issued a new law with a six-month deadline. Qatar's announcement was hailed as historic by organizations including the International Labor Organization (ILO).