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'''Al Bandary Protest (Doha, Qatar) '''

On 14th of August 2022, employees of the Al Bandary Engineering and Al Bandary Electrowatt companies (subsidiaries of the Bandary International Group) staged a protest outside of the headquarters of the organisation in central Doha over the non-payment of wages. Around 200 employees, predominately migrant-workers from countries in South Asia, gathered to demand the payment of dues; some had not been paid for up to 7 months, others had similar grievances concerning wages and working conditions.

'''Background '''

''see also 2022 FIFA World Cup controversies, Kafala system, Human rights in Qatar

The exploitation and human rights abuses of migrant-workers in Qatar (and in other GCC countries) is already well-documented. 2010 saw the announcement of Qatar as host for the 2022 FIFA World Cup; in order to build the infrastructure necessary to host a global event of this scale, Qatar required great numbers of migrant-workers - tied to the Kafala labour system (which has been compared by human rights groups to quasi-slavery or indentured servitude) - to construct stadia, hotels, malls and other such projects of urban and sports infrastructure. The lack of worker's rights, including the inability to form unions in Qatar - coupled with Kafala and its legal restrictions on migrant-workers - has meant the systemic abuse of human rights committed by government contractors and other private employers responsible for Qatar's World Cup development. Such acts have included the seizure of passports; delayed or lack of payment; deaths and injuries on construction sites as a result of absent health and safety protocols; as well as unsanitary and crowded living conditions provided by employers. But the late and non-payment of wages continues to be the most common labour abuse of migrant-workers in Qatar - many often leaving the country without receiving any renumeration from their employers.

The Bandary International Group (the parent company of its Engineering and Electrowatt companies) was one such company which had received government contracts to construct high-profile infrastructure projects in the run up to the 2022 World Cup - projects including dozens of new hotels, malls, and residences. The company stopped paying wages in February 2022, and were in the process of terminating contracts in June of the same year (with some workers having their contracts terminated early whilst concurrently receiving diminished pay). Leading up to the protest held on the 14th of August 2022, the company was already under investigation by the Qatari Ministry of Labour for failing to pay wages owed to its employees. Furthermore, the employees had previously been guaranteed by the company to receive 6 to 7 months unpaid wages by the 11th of August - Al Bandary failed to do so by this agreed date and continued to withhold payment. Underpinning the non-payment of workers' wages, many employees had experienced squalid living conditions; the necessity to pay huge recruitment fees; the government refusing to allow workers to seek employment with other companies; as well as the confiscation of passports by Al Bandary.

'''The Protest '''

Around 200 migrant-workers gathered in central Doha, outside the headquarters of the Bandary International Group, to protest up to 7 months unpaid wages as well as months of inadequate working and domestic conditions. The protesters - predominately from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Egypt, and the Phillipines - blocked traffic on an intersection of Doha’s C Ring Road, adjacent to the Al Shoumoukh Tower, and a major artery of the city's infrastructure. The workers shouted slogans and demanded the payment of their withheld wages.

'''Government reaction '''

In response to the protest, the Qatari government subsequently detained and deported around 60 of the workers. The government claimed that the protesting workers had breached public security laws. The detained employees were held in cramped and over-crowded conditions with up to 30 to 35 people in one room. Some police officers reportedly turned the air-conditioning off for long periods of time. Whilst the Qatari government has claimed they had originally placed the Bandary International Group (and its subsidiaries) under investigation for withholding wages as well as promising to pay the missing salaries owed to Al Bandary workers, many of the deported employees are yet to receive compensation or renumeration of wages from the government.