The executive director of Qatar’s Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund (WSIF), Kholoud Saif Abdullah Al Kubaisi, recently stated that “over 130,000 workers have benefitted from the fund since its establishment, including its significant contribution to protecting their rights and ensuring that they receive their financial dues.”
Though Al Kubaisi spoke of the fund’s transparency and its role alongside wider reforms in “reducing labour disputes and complaints,” there are still several issues that remain unaddressed.
The Role of the Worker’s Support and Insurance Fund
The fund was established in 2018 through Law No. 17 of 2018, and its mandate covers three primary areas:
- Provide the sustainable financial resources necessary for supporting and securing workers.
- Pay the workers' entitlements decided by Labour Disputes Settlement Committees, and then recoup the paid amount from the employer.
- Contribute to the provision and creation of playgrounds or entertainment venues or workers’ housing, in coordination with the concerned authorities in the State.
It is unclear whether the 130,000 beneficiaries received support across all three areas or primarily as compensation for unpaid wages.
The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) 2024 annual progress report on its technical cooperation with Qatar does not provide any data on amounts paid to workers. Its reference to the WSIF is only around the third mandate that looks at building relations with the workers’ communities. In cases where workers receive entitlements, disbursement is subject to specific conditions and capped amounts.
Article 2 of the 2022 law amendment, states:
“The Fund shall pay Workers their entitlements in the cases below:
- Final decisions issued by the Committee.
- Final judgments issued by the competent court.
- The cases of delayed payment of monthly wages if public interest so requires.
- Urgent and exceptional cases for reasons of public interest.
- The cases due for disbursement before the entry into force of The Law, if public interest so requires, and on condition that credit is available.”
Al-Kubaisi explained that the fund, ”provides immediate support to affected workers, which has led to ensuring their financial stability and not being exposed to economic pressures, and not stopping any state projects.” The ILO’s 2023 progress report also stated that the “vast majority of payments coming from or through the Fund go to companies that have limited liquidity, the aim being to support the completion of the relevant projects or operations,” and about half of the QR2.3 billion was disbursed to more than 70,000 workers.
Furthermore, as per Article 4 of the amended law, the maximum disbursements are as follows:
- Existing companies: a salary of three months and a maximum of (20,000) twenty thousand riyals.
- Expired companies: a salary of two months and a maximum of (12,000) twelve thousand riyals.
- Domestic workers: a salary of three months and a maximum of (8,000) eight thousand riyals.
It remains unclear whether these amounts constitute a final settlement or an interim one, as most workers are owed significantly more than these maximum amounts. As MR has previously reported, workers usually file wage theft complaints only after several months of non-payment, and the resolution process takes a few more months. In this case, the total entitlements should add up, encompassing not just wages owed but also end-of service-benefits.
Given the lack of up-to-date and disaggregated data on the nature of WSIF’s activities, the proposition that the fund provides its services with complete transparency and fairness is not substantiated.
The latest ILO report states that the majority of complaints arose from unpaid work and benefits. While some workers are able to find new jobs and earn an income while waiting for their cases to be resolved, those who do not often end up leaving the country without resolving the case . Once a case moves to the Dispute Settlement Committee stage, workers must wait for a long, unspecified period to have their case heard.
The majority of complaints are settled in the arbitration stage under the jurisdiction of the ministry of labour’s complaints department before reaching the Dispute Settlement Committee (DSC) remains. Only 25% of the complaints reached this stage. The WISF only releases funds to cases that have been settled by the DSC.
