Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DOHA1701
2005-10-05 12:25:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Doha
Cable title:  

AMERICAN BUSINESSES IN QATAR EAGER TO DO THEIR

Tags:  ELAB ETRD ECON PREL QA 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS DOHA 001701 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/RA, DRL, INL, G/TIP, EB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB ETRD ECON PREL QA
SUBJECT: AMERICAN BUSINESSES IN QATAR EAGER TO DO THEIR
PART ON LABOR

REF: A. 04 DOHA 1670


B. 04 DOHA 1739

C. DOHA 687

D. DOHA 688

E. DOHA 858

F. DOHA 1132

UNCLAS DOHA 001701

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/RA, DRL, INL, G/TIP, EB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB ETRD ECON PREL QA
SUBJECT: AMERICAN BUSINESSES IN QATAR EAGER TO DO THEIR
PART ON LABOR

REF: A. 04 DOHA 1670


B. 04 DOHA 1739

C. DOHA 687

D. DOHA 688

E. DOHA 858

F. DOHA 1132


1. (U) Summary. Post continues its effort to promote labor
standards and raise awareness of labor issues in Qatar.
Recent efforts culminated in a presentation by Qatari Labor
Department officials to the American Business Council of
Qatar. The presentation highlighted the growing interest and
concern on the part of American businesses to gain a better
understanding of the new labor law that came into effect last
January, as well as the overall labor situation in Qatar.
End Summary.


2. (U) Previous efforts by Post to reach out to "labor
stakeholders" focused on government officials (reftel 04 DOHA
1670),source country embassies and third country nationals
(reftel DOHA 1132). More recently, that effort was extended
to include American businesses. In early spring, Poloff met
with American business leaders to discuss the new labor code
(reftel 04 DOHA 1739) that had come into effect and its
implication for American businesses. Also discussed was the
overall labor situation in the country (reftels DOHA 687,
DOHA 688, DOHA 858) and what, if anything, American
businesses could do to help improve that situation. From
these discussions it became apparent that while American
business leaders were cognizant of the new labor code and
held basic knowledge of the law, they remained unsure about
their responsibilities and the implications of the many
provisions for their companies. Further, many expressed a
desire to learn more about the new law and their obligations
under it.


3. (U) To reach out more effectively and broadly to American
businesses, Poloff made the suggestion to Dr. Barclay
Collins, the president of the American Business Council of
Qatar (ABCQ),to hold a discussion of the new labor law at
one of its monthly meetings. Poloff also offered to speak
with Khaled Al Sulaiti, the director of the Labor Department,
and invite him to make a presentation to the ABCQ. The
president was very eager to have a representative from the
Labor Department address the ABCQ.


4. (U) On September 28, the director of the Labor Department
and another official from the employment division were the
featured speakers of the first ABCQ meeting of the season.
The meeting was well attended and included representatives
from diverse sectors. The presentation provided a review of
the new labor code and its provisions. There were numerous
questions following the presentation. The questions ranged
from the very basic to more complex ones regarding worker
contracts and compensation.


5. (U) While the questions raised demonstrated that there is
still some ignorance and confusion about the myriad
provisions of the new labor code, the participants were
clearly cognizant of the growing importance of the labor
issue in the country. Further, the interest and attentiveness
of the participants indicated a broader concern with ensuring
that their companies were, at a minimum, in compliance with
the new regulations. Overall, American businesses appear
keen, not only to comply with the new labor codes, but also
to do their part in improving the labor situation in Qatar.
Finally, the presentation laid the foundation for further
contact between American businesses and Labor Department
officials. Both the ABCQ and Labor Department officials
appeared enthusiastic on following up on this meeting.


6. (U) Comment. Labor remains a serious issue in Qatar.
Indeed, it is rare lately to pick up a local daily paper and
not find some mention of an incident involving laborers or
initiatives being undertaken by source country embassies on
behalf of their nationals. While the increased reporting does
not necessarily correlate to a growing labor crisis in Qatar,
it does demonstrate an increased willingness to talk about
labor issues and problems in the country, especially in the
aftermath of the new labor law. Also promising is that the
increased "labor discourse" is not limited to the media. Post
will continue to engage government officials, foreign
embassies as well as business representatives on this
critical issue. End Comment.
UNTERMEYER