Workers forced to sweat it out in the sizzling sun
Web posted at: 6/30/2008 1:41:43
Source ::: The Peninsula/ BY RAYNALD RIVERA
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| Three workers engaged in roadworks in the hot sun in violation of the labour laws. (SALIM MATRAMKOT) |
doha • Some contracting companies are continuously violating the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs’ decision banning deployment of labourers on construction sites between 11.30am and 3pm, the hottest time of the day.
Roaming around Doha, one can see labourers digging along the roads in Madinat Khalifa, for instance, and others working in building sites under the heat of the noon sun. Some contractors however obey the law by posting signage which states ‘Working under a roofless site is prohibited between 11.30am to 3pm’.
This reporter yesterday chanced upon a group of workers excavating along the road on a street several blocks away from Dar Al Sharq building. One of the workers said that they were around 300 labourers, mostly Nepalese based in Al Khor, who were being supplied by a manpower agency to contracting companies in Doha.
“We work for 10 hours a day for QR600 a month,” another worker said adding that they wake up at 4am every day to prepare and travel all the way from Al Khor to Doha.
He also said that they start their work at six in the morning and end at four in the afternoon. “Going back to the labour camp, we usually reach Al Khor at around 7 or 8pm,” he added.
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