A subsidiary of French construction company Vinci was handed preliminary charges of forced labour and other alleged violations of the rights of migrant workers hired to build infrastructure in Qatar around the World Cup.
The company denies the charges and is appealing them, and accused magistrates of rushing through the decision ahead of the tournament opening on November 20.
But a human rights group behind the initial legal complaint against Vinci seven years ago hailed the labmove as a breakthrough, after protracted efforts to hold the company accountable for the alleged abuses.
Leading up to the World Cup, Qatar has faced scrutiny for its labour laws and treatment of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, mostly from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other South Asian countries.
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Vinci subsidiary Vinci Construction Grands Projects was given preliminary charges of holding multiple people in servitude through forced labour; submitting workers to conditions and lodging incompatible with human dignity; and obtaining services from people who were vulnerable or in a situation of dependence, according to a judicial official and French advocacy group Sherpa.
Sherpa filed the original complaint in 2015, along with several former workers.
Sherpa said it collected testimonies about the working conditions at some construction sites operated by Vinci’s subsidiary, which included working in temperatures over 45 degrees with insufficient water, the withholding of passports, and lack of access to show..ers in accommodations.
Source: Nine Eleven
