LABOUR RIGHTS INDEX 2022

Trade Union
Indicator
Trade Union
Countries
LRI 2022
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lri 2022 Country Profiles

Qatar

Trade Union Indicator

The Labour Rights Index 2022 (LRI 2022) is a de-jure index covering 135 economies and structured around the working lifespan of a worker. In total, 46 questions or evaluation criteria are scored across 10 indicators. The overall score is calculated by taking the average of each indicator, with 100 being the highest possible score. The Index uses a rating system, ranging from “Total Lack of Decent Work” to “Decent Work”. The Labour Rights Index aims at an active contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, by providing necessary (complementary) insights into de jure provisions on issues covered in particular by SDG8 (Decent Jobs), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Strong Institutions). The Index is based on national labour legislation, applicable on 1 January 2022. The Index does not take into account COVID-19 related labour market measures in its scoring.

Qatar’s overall score is 47 out of 100. The overall score for Qatar is lower than the regional average observed across the Middle East and North Africa (61.26). Within the Middle East and North Africa region, the highest score is observed for Morocco (79.5).

Qatar received the worst possible score by default due to reported general prohibition of the right to establish and join organizations and/or collective bargaining in law and in practice (violations no. 23, 36 and/or 62 and 73 in the table below).

Labour Rights Index 2022

47/100

LRI Country Score

0/100

Trade Union Indicator

- %

Trade union density rate (%)

- %

Collective bargaining coverage rate (%)

-

SDG indicator 8.8.2

5

ITUC Global Rights Index 2022 Ratings

Question

Answer

Score

Legal Basis

Violation

Does the law allow workers to form and join unions of their own choice?

No

0

§45, Constitution 2004; §116-119, Labour Law (No. 14 of 2004)

A

Does the law allow workers to bargain collectively with employers through their representative unions?

No

0

§124-127 of the Labour Law (No. 14 of 2004); USDOS CRHRP 2021

D

Does the law provide for the right to strike?

No

0

§120 of the Labour Law (No. 14 of 2004)

A

Does the law prohibit employers from terminating employment contracts of striking workers?

No

0

§120 of the Labour Law (No. 14 of 2004); USDOS CRHRP 2021

D

Textual sources

A : National Law

National Labour Legislation

B : CEACR

CEACR: ILO Committee of Experts on Application of Conventions and Recommendations (latest report)

C : ITUC

ITUC: ITUC Global Rights Index 2022

D : USDOS

USDOS: US Department of States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2021

LRI Country Score
The Labour Rights Index has 10 indicators and 46 sub-indicators. The LRI Country score averages 10 indicators and ranges between 0 and 100. The lowest and highest scorers are Nigeria (29/100) and Belgium/Greece (96/100). https://labourrightsindex.org/  

Trade Union Indicator
The trade union indicator is composed of 4 sub-indicators. Scoring is done through the binary method (0 or 1). The score ranges between 0-100. 

Trade union density rate (%)
The trade union density rate conveys the number of union members who are employees as a percentage of the total number of employees in the country. For updated statistics on trade union density, please check ILOSTAT. 

Collective bargaining coverage rate (%)
The collective bargaining coverage rate conveys the number of employees whose pay and/or conditions of employment are determined by one or more collective agreement(s) as a percentage of the total number of employees in the country. For updated statistics on collective bargaining coverage, please check ILOSTAT. 

SDG indicator 8.8.2
SDG indicator 8.8.2 measures national compliance with fundamental labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining or FACB). It ranges from 0 to 10, with 0 being the best possible score (indicating higher levels of compliance with FACB rights) and 10 the worst (indicating lower levels of compliance with FACB rights). It is based on six ILO supervisory body textual sources and national legislation.
For an updated assessment on SDG indicator 8.8.2, please check ILOSTAT. 

ITUC Global Rights Index 2022 Ratings
The ITUC Global Rights Index depicts the world’s worst countries for workers by rating 148 countries on a scale from 1 to 5+ on the degree of respect for workers’ rights. Violations are recorded each year from April to March.  For a detailed description of ratings and methodology, please follow the link. 

To find an ITUC affiliate in your country, please check the LINK:

Violations

National Labour Legislation
§116 of the Labour Law (No. 14 of 2004)

Article (116)
The workers working in an establishment where the number of Qatari workers is not less
than hundred workers may form a committee from amongst themselves to be named ” the
Workers Committee” and more than one committee in the establishment may not be
formed.
The workers committees in the establishments engaged in one trade or industry or similar
or interrelated trades or industries are entitled to form a general committee from amongst
themselves to be named the General Committee for the Workers of Trade or Industry.

The general committees of the workers of the various trades and industries may form
amongst theirselves a general union to be named the!
“General Union of the Workers
of Qatar”.
The membership in the two committees referred to and in the General Union of the
Workers of Qatar shall be confined to the Qatari workers. The Minister shall specify the
conditions and procedures for the formation of the workers organizations referred to and
the membership therein and the way of carrying out their business and the interrelated
and similar trades and industries

Violations

US Department of States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2021 (USDOS)
USDOS CRHRP 2021

The law does not provide for the right of workers to form and join independent unions, conduct legal strikes, and bargain collectively, which made the exercise of these rights difficult. The law provides local citizen workers in private-sector enterprises that have 100 citizen workers age 18 and older a limited right to organize, strike, and bargain collectively.
(…)
The law excludes government employees, noncitizens, domestic workers, drivers, nurses, cooks, gardeners, casual workers, workers employed at sea, and most workers employed in agriculture and grazing from the right to join worker committees or the national union, effectively banning these workers from organizing, bargaining collectively, or striking.

Violations

National Labour Legislation
§120 of the Labour Law (No. 14 of 2004)

Article (120)
The workers may go on strike if amicable settlement of the dispute between them and the employer becomes impossible in accordance with the following measures:
1. Approval of three fourths of the General Committee of the workers of the trade or
industry.
2. Giving to the employer a period of not less than two weeks before commencing the
strike and securing approval of the Ministry after coordination with the Minister of Interior Affairs in respect of the time and place of the strike.
3. Provided that there is no deteriment to the property of the State and of the individual and their security and safety.
4. Prohibition of the strike in vital public utilities such as petroleum and gas related
industries, electricity, water, seaports, airports, hospitals and transportation.
5. Non-resort to strike before the amicable settlement between the workers and employer by conciliation or arbitration in accordance with the provisions of this law becomes impossible.

Violations

US Department of States' Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2021 (USDOS)
USDOS CRHRP 2021

The law does not prohibit antiunion discrimination or provide for reinstatement of workers fired for union activity.