The International Football Federation (fifa) was for the first time interested in the creation of a compensation fund for victims of work-related accidents on the construction sites of the World Cup in Qatar, declared its deputy general secretary, Alasdair Bell, on Thursday.
(Also: Shakira will be one of the stars invited to the World Cup in Qatar)
“It is important to try to see that anyone who has suffered an injury due to their participation in the World Cup is compensated in some way“, declared Bell in Strasbourg, before the parliamentarians of the Council of Europe, a body that watches over human rights on the continent, during a hearing on the protection of workers’ rights in Qatar.
“It’s not the easiest thing to get going, this needs some thought,” he continued. “It needs structure, rules and governance,” but “it’s really something we want to move forward on,” she added. “These are steps in the right direction,” rejoiced Lise Klaveness, also present in Strasbourg.
(It may interest you: Byron Castillo: Chile, Peru and Ecuador are still in suspense, when is the case defined?)
The president of the Norwegian Football Federation, known for her criticism of the insufficient weight of human rights for Doha, also judged that the organizer of the competition “truly tries to respond to criticism and work to bring about sustainable changes and it is important to recognize those sincere efforts.
At the beginning of October, the French Football Federation (FFF) had already indicated that it was working with other federations on a Compensation fund for victims of occupational accidents on the construction sites of the World Cup in Qatar. “We have started conversations with a dozen federations to work on a triptych” of proposals, explained its delegate vice president, Phillippe Diallo.
According to him, it is especially about “creating a reception center for migrant workers who would be registered in the legacy of the Qatar World Cup”, in addition to a “compensation fund for all those who have been victims of an accident at work during the works of the World Cup”.
(Also: Qatar World Cup: 10 captains will wear bracelets with LGBTI colors)
The idea of a compensation fund for the workers who worked on the construction sites for the competition was defended in recent months by several human rights organizations, who called on the sponsors of the World Cup to support their proposal.
Qatar has put in place workers’ compensation systems, but the measures have been slow and have not benefited everyone, according to Amnesty International. The NGOs, which celebrate some of the social reforms adopted by the country’s authorities, point to legal gaps in the protection of their workers, in addition to a recurring problem of unpaid wages.
Qatar, for its part, strongly rejects criticism of its inaction on workers’ rightsand is particularly congratulated for having introduced a minimum wage, the reduction of the dependency of workers on their employer and for having imposed stricter protection rules during the hot summers.
(Keep reading: Qatar World Cup 2022: the temperature and the details of the reception for fans)
AFP
#Fifa #open #compensation #fund #World #Cup #workers