MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2022) The Qatari foreign workers' support and insurance fund will continue to operate after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), the tournament's organizer, said on Sunday.
In 2018, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a decree on the creation of a fund to support migrant workers following criticism of the country's treatment of foreign labor.
"There is a workers' support insurance fund that will be looking into any matters relating to unfortunate deaths. And that will continue beyond the World Cup," Al Thawadi said in an interview with UK broadcaster Sky news.
In November, The Guardian, citing Al Thawadi, reported that the number of migrant workers who died in projects related to the preparation for the World Cup in Qatar ranged from 400 to 500 people.
Last month, the International Labour Organization said in its report that 50 workers died in Qatar in 2020 and another 500 people were seriously injured, but the real numbers may be higher.
In 2021, a number of national federations called on FIFA to put pressure on the Qatari authorities to improve the situation of migrants working on the construction of World Cup facilities in the country. In April, SC admitted violations of working conditions in three companies involved in the preparation for the tournament. In May, the Amnesty International human rights organization sent a letter to FIFA head Gianni Infantino demanding compensation of $440 million to migrant workers employed in the construction of World Cup facilities for violating working conditions.
