4,000 could die building Qatar World Cup
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is worried about workers and working conditions of builders in Qatar. They get very low pay for dangerous work. Sometimes construction companies do not pay the workers. The companies take away the worker's passports. The men get no drinking water, even in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. Nepal's embassy in Qatar said 44 Nepalese workers died this summer. Most of the men died from heart attacks or workplace accidents. The ITUC says that up to 4,000 workers could die before the World Cup starts in 2022. Many people are shocked about the treatment of the workers. The ITUC said that what is happening is like modern slavery. Nepal's ambassador to Qatar said the country was like "an open jail" for workers. Aidan McQuade, from Anti-Slavery International, said the World Cup is being built using slave labour. Qatar's government said it was shocked. It said there was no excuse for any worker in Qatar to be treated in this way. It added that the health, safety and well-being of every worker that helps to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup "is of the utmost importance". |