Qatar has postponed the launch of a mandatory online wage-protection system for blue-collar workers, it was reported.
The program was scheduled to be launched today, which marks the end of a six-month grace period allotted to companies to ensure they are able to comply with the new rules.
However, the government decided on Monday to postpone the launch to November 2, as some companies were not yet ready to be part of the new system, according to The Peninsula. Postponing the deadline would give them more time to comply, it was reported.
Over 50,000 private-sector companies in Qatar are to be part of the Wage Protection System (WPS), whereby workers have to be paid their wages through banking channels. The system, touted as a significant step in Qatar’s efforts at labour reform, aims to ensure that migrant workers – many of whom are employed on World Cup 2022 projects – receive wages on time.
Under the WPS, workers will be paid their salaries either twice a month or monthly, and the wages will be electronically transferred directly to their bank accounts.
In June, Qatar’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs blacklisted 807 companies for violating labour laws in the first half of this year. In a bid to protect the rights of workers, the ministry banned 3,913 companies, around 5% of the total number of firms operating in the country, it was reported.
