The Workers’ Welfare Charter was launched as a testament of our commitment towards the welfare of our workers. It outlines principles that protects workers’ wellbeing, health, safety and security at all times.

The Workers’ Welfare Standards were developed as a set of mandatory, contractually-binding requirements that ensure that companies working on SC projects are operating in line with the principles and values outlined in the Workers’ Welfare Charter.

The first Semi-Annual Workers’ Welfare Compliance Report was published as part of SC’s commitment to transparency and accountability. The report assesses the progress made since the launch of the Standards in February 2014 and the work done to address critical issues in workers’ welfare.

The second Semi-Annual Workers’ Welfare Compliance Report provides an update on the efforts undertaken in all areas relating to Workers' Welfare, outlining the processes in place and identifying the challenges that have arisen during the implementation of the Standards.

The First Annual Workers’ Welfare Progress Report outlines the SC’s progress in updating the Standards; audits and inspections systems, governance, communication and engagement mechanisms for the period from April to December 2015.

Two years since the implementation of the Workers’ Welfare Standards, the SC engaged in consultations with stakeholders, and together identified a number of areas for improvement and enhancement which were incorporated into the second edition of our standards.

The SC appointed Impactt Ltd as an Independent External Monitor to fulfil the third tier of our four-tier audit system. Impactt’s role is to monitor the compliance of contractors against the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards, provide advice and publish an independent, annual external compliance report.

The SC established Workers’ Welfare Forums as a flagship grievance platform that allows workers to raise grievances via elected worker representatives. This was critical in ensuring workers had a voice, and to provide them a safe and secure platform to share concerns without fear of retaliation. 

The SC entered into a landmark agreement with the global union federation Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI). A Joint Working Group was established to conduct health and safety inspections across SC sites and ensure compliance with international standards.

The SC introduced the grievance hotline to strengthen our grievance mechanisms for workers. The hotline enabled workers to lodge complaints anonymous, and was available round the clock in multiple languages.

Impactt released its first Compliance Report, following its appointment as the external monitor for the SC’s Workers’ Welfare programme. Impactt reviewed SC’s standards and processes and developed an independent methodology to assess contractors’ compliance against the Workers’ Welfare Standards.

The Second Annual Workers’ Welfare Progress Report detailed workers’ welfare-related progress and challenges faced from January 2016 to February 2017. The report provided an update on the enhancements made to the audit process to implement the Workers’ Welfare Standards.

The SC entered into an agreement with Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar to launch a ground-breaking Nutrition Programme aimed at enhancing workers’ health by creating awareness on the importance of nutrition and encouraging active lifestyles among the workforce.

The SC partnered with Qatar International Safety Centre to design and carry out training courses for workers and key contractor staff to improve their soft and technical capabilities, enhance job performance, increase productivity and safety, and prepare them for future careers.

The SC partnered with Commercial Bank to help workers use its mobile app to transfer money in a simple, fast and safe way.

The SC piloted new cooling technology in line with our continued commitment to ensure highest standards of health and safety for workers on construction sites, with a key focus on heat stress.

With millions of migrant workers around the globe paying illegal recruitment fees, the SC launched a path breaking Universal reimbursement Scheme to protect SC workers from this unethical practice and ensure they were reimbursed.

This first edition of the Joint Working Group (JWG) report was created following the Cooperation Agreement between the SC and BWI in 2016. The report provided an overview of the work carried out in 2017 by the JWG across several SC stadium construction sites and accommodations.

The SC partnered with The Phoenix Partnership to set up an integrated electronic medical records system for workers – a first-of-its-kind healthcare initiative in Qatar – to monitor and manage workers' health more efficiently. This was an important step in ensuring health issues are detected as early as possible, and that the right health care plan is put in place for our workers.

A bespoke cooling technology was developed with specialist partner, TechNiche. 3,500 cooling vests were deployed to selected trades that were exposed to higher temperatures in their work, with training on how to use these products for optimal cooling.

The SC introduced comprehensive medical screenings for all SC workers, in partnership with Qatar Red Crescent. These mandatory screenings are funded by the SC, and ensure proper care and case management where acute or chronic illnesses are identified.

Working closely with our specialist partner TechNiche, we achieved a major breakthrough in cooling technology through the development of a fully functioning cooling work wear range adapted to Qatar’s unique requirements. StayQool suits were designed to reduce thermal skin temperature by up to 8C.

SC launched its first workers’ survey, in partnership with Qatar University’s (QU) research arm The Social & Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI). The survey provided workers a platform to share facts and opinions on key matters impacting their lives in Qatar and on the SC programme.

The SC announced the completion of 200 million work hours since preparations began on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ projects. To mark this milestone, the SC organised a ceremony to recognise the efforts of the FIFA World Cup™ workers.

The roll out of our bespoke cooling suits StayQool commenced in the summer in a phased approach, to ensure workers received proper training, and that monitoring and feedback could be utilised to inform enhancements as required.

The SC participated in a major study commissioned by the International Labour Organization and Ministry of Labour to assess the impact of heat stress on workers. The study was carried out by heat stress experts, FAME Lab. The findings demonstrated that SC sites operate under comprehensive heat stress management plans, focusing on worker empowerment and self-pacing on site; a practice that is not prevalent in the mainstream.

Under the SC’s Universal Reimbursement Scheme, the majority of SC contractors and OCPs agreed to reimburse costs that would have been charged during their recruitment and relocation to Qatar. In 2019, the total monetary value crossed QAR 100M, demonstrating strong compliance amongst contractors.  

As we moved closer to 2022, the SC’s Workers’ Welfare & Labour Rights Department’s remit expanded to oversee host country operation services, including hospitality and other tournament-centric projects, with a wider view of embedding our Workers' Welfare Standards across more industries. The first sector to pilot adoption of the Standards was hospitality.

Since the introduction of electronic medical records in February 2018, the SC successfully registered over 37,000 workers under the system. This healthcare initiative for workers in Qatar has enabled faster detection of health risks.

The SC designed a comprehensive, integrated mental healthcare channel for all workers employed on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ projects, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Hamad Medical Corporation. This system aims to identify and support workers with mental health issues by providing better, faster access to treatment and counselling in a safe, secure environment.

With the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, our priority was to keep workers safe and minimise the spread of infection. We quickly implemented a range of proactive measures, in line with safety guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Public Health, which helped to delay the onset of infections.

Our focus on workers' mental health intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. We worked closely with specialists at the Ministry of Public Health and Hamad Medical Corporation to develop a tailored mental health awareness campaign to address key issues such as anxiety, depression, general wellbeing and the importance of staying active.

In 2020, StayQool suits were enhanced to improve comfort and practicality, and a further 17,000 suits were deployed at Doha Port, and Lusail, Stadium 974, Al Thumama and Education City Stadiums. This is the first time such sophisticated work-wear has been mass deployed in the construction sector.

The SC received the Excellence Award in Occupational Safety and Health for our Workers' Welfare and Labour Rights programme from Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Environment. This special recognition is a testament to the continuous efforts and commitment towards ensuring the safety and protection of workers across our project sites.

In 2020, the SC renewed the workers’ comprehensive medical screening programme with new partners. The screenings enable us to detect health issues as early as possible and provide accurate, effective healthcare plans for our workers. Over 28,900 workers received comprehensive medical screenings by the end of the year.

The SC’s Workers’ Welfare & Labour Rights Department implemented a compliance programme during the FIFA Club World Cup 2020™ covering approximately 74% of the total contractors involved in the tournament. About 6% of workers were interviewed to assess their working and living conditions.

Following the successful pilot conducted by Qatar Chamber of Commerce in 2020, the SC commissioned the survey to SESRI in 2021 to secure a comprehensive independent analysis of contractor perspectives on the impact of the Workers’ Welfare Standards. 94% of contractors surveyed recommended the implementation of the Standards at the national level.

The SC’s Workers’ Welfare & Labour Rights Department conducted another compliance exercise for the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ Qualifiers. 11% of the total workforce were interviewed. The inspection team made significant progress in addressing critical non-compliances, a number of which were resolved within an hour of being identified.

The revolutionary StayQool suits have been equipped with wearable sensors, designed by Hamad Bin Khalifa University, to monitor key health parameters, for a holistic solution to managing heat stress and enhancing StayQool Suits further.

Following the launch of our mental health pathway, over 6,625 workers have completed mental health screenings. As part of the initiative, 67 clinicians across SC sites and accommodations have completed training to ensure efficient diagnosis, care and treatment for workers.

The SC’s Workers’ Welfare & Labour Rights Department undertook a rigorous compliance exercise during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ to ensure the welfare of tournament-time workers. The team prioritised worker interviews to identify any non-compliances and conducted follow-ups with contractors to implement rectification plans.

The SC is a member of the Central Labour Management Consultation Committee, which was established by the Ministry of Labour and International Labour Organization to encourage social dialogue at the enterprise level through the replication of the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Forums across the hospitality sector.

The SC deployed over 50,000 StayQool suits as part of the wider heat stress mitigation measures. The revolutionary cooling suit ensured workers were comfortable during hotter months by reducing thermal skin temperature by 8C. The suit was also piloted across non-construction sectors to explore its wider use.

Through the SC’s groundbreaking reimbursement programme, 266 contractors reimbursed QAR 86.6M to 49,286 SC and non-SC workers who were affected by the illegal practice of recruitment fees.

This was the first FIFA World Cup™ to have a dedicated human rights team deployed to oversee the welfare of workers. A robust due diligence exercise was implemented, including worker interviews and venue inspections, to ensure workers’ rights were protected.