Qatar planning to kick out hundreds of Jordanian workers

Indiana Khaled

Qatar plans to kick hundreds of Jordanian workers out, against the background of deteriorating economic conditions because of the coronavirus.

This encourages companies operating in Qatar to get rid of their workers and shirk their responsibilities towards them.

According to the Jordanian news site, Ahdath al-Youm, Qatari companies told their Jordanian workers that they would terminate their contracts by the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan. This, the site said, puts a lot of pressure on the Jordanian government.

In June 2017, Jordan downgraded its diplomatic representation in Qatar and ended the license of the Qatari news channel, al-Jazeera, in line with the Arab boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia; the United Arab Emirates; Egypt, and Bahrain. In June 2019, Jordanian King, Abdullah II, returned diplomatic relations with Qatar to normal. As a result, Qatar launched an initiative for the employment of Jordanian workers.

The Jordan 24 site quoted some Jordanian workers in Qatar as complaining against their tough conditions because of the termination of their contracts by Qatari companies.

The companies, the workers said, gave the workers unpaid leaves until a further notice.

Crimes

On May 7, a Nepalese worker died inside the Industrial Zone in Doha after suffering an acute circulatory collapse.

The death of the worker followed reports about the lack of enough food at the camps where Qatar keeps migrant workers. Qatari authorities prevent the workers from getting out of the camps.

The worker who died ate nothing but onions for a week, according to the news site, al-Arab Mubashir.

About 238 migrant workers tested positive for the coronavirus in April, attesting to the presence of hundreds of infections among migrant workers in Qatar.