The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a number of decrees related to amending some provisions of the Labor Law, the entry, exit and residency of expatriates, and setting the minimum wage for workers and domestic workers.
Under the new law, the minimum wage for workers and domestic workers has been set at 1,000 Qatari riyals per month ($ 274.7), and in the event that the employer does not provide adequate housing or food for the worker or employee, the minimum housing allowance is 500 riyals, and the minimum food allowance is 300 riyals. According to the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, it is important to coordinate with employers to amend work contracts in which the worker’s wage is less than the minimum specified in the decision, and which is to be implemented 6 months after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
The ministry indicated that the decision is the first of its kind in the Middle East region, which provides more stability to the labor market in Qatar, revealing the formation of a minimum wage committee to study and review the minimum wage for workers and employees. According to the Ministry, the two decrees amending the Labor Law and the Law Regulating the Entry, Exit and Residence of Expatriates aim to preserve the rights of both employers and workers, this will increase competition, giving the worker the opportunity to change his workplace, and the employer will benefit by obtaining skilled labor within the local market.
Source (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed Newspaper, Edited)
