Qatar Foundation partners with Qatar Shell to adopt best practices for workers’ welfare

With the aim of enhancing the safety and well-being of all migrant workers, Qatar Shell and Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development joined forces earlier today tohelp ensure the effective application of workers’ welfare standards in Qatar.

Thetwo organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate this joint objective and to underline the importance of exchanging ideas and sharing knowledge. Qatar Foundation and Qatar Shell highlighted their commitment to the application offair employment principles and international best practice so as to safeguardthe rights of all migrant workers engaged in construction and other related service activities.

Eng. Saad Al Muhannadi, Vice President of Capital Projects and Facilities Management at Qatar Foundation said, “We consistently strive to enhance the quality of life for workers on Qatar Foundation construction projects, and we believe that dignified living and working conditions are absolutely essential to unlocking human potential.”

He added, “Qatar Shell’s experience has shown that proper management of workers’ welfare produces measurable results in terms of increased productivity and decreased fatality rates. I look forward to seeing the results of our efforts combined with Shell’s unmatched expertise to raise the quality of life for our workers.” 

Qatar Shell, which has successfully completed construction of the Pearl GTL Plant with its partner Qatar Petroleum (QP), willalso impart the key lessons that it has learned from managing and upholding the interests of some52,000 workers.In April, Qatar Shell was recognised by His Excellency Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, the Minister of Energy and Industry with a QP HSE Excellence Award for its outstanding achievements associated with the Pearl GTL workers welfare programme.

According to WaelSawan, Managing Director and Chairman of Qatar Shell Companies, ensuring the safety of workers on the world’s largest gas-to-liquid plant, as well as enhancing their performance, required a “fresh approach”.Thisprocess has included creating a suitable “home away from home” environment for the workers in the Pearl Village byproviding them with medical and psycho-social support, recreation, and community facilities.

“Our whole approach towards Workers’ Welfare is based on the belief that people are an opportunity for investment, not a cost to be minimised,” said Mr Sawan.“We realised very early on that building one of the largest energy projects in the world, while ensuring the safety of every single individual on the project, is a daunting challenge.However, we took the decision to pursue a novel approach to workers welfare, and we are delighted at the opportunity to share the key lessons learnt from our experience with Qatar Foundation, a hub of knowledge that is continuously growing.”

In April, Qatar Foundation launched an initiative designed to improve employment practices and enhance its migrant workers’ quality of life. Qatar Foundation also signed the Migrant Workers Welfare Charter inOctober and recently established a Workers’ Welfare Department, which is designed to carefully screen all service providers and partners based on their compliance with its ethical rules and requirements. 

Seeking to spread the companies’ culture of care and concern for workers, Qatar Shell and Qatar Petroleum have formalised the inclusion of Workers’ Welfare ‘Terms & Conditions’ as standard clauses in contractor agreements. Qatar Shell has also been actively  promoting its expertise with other companies both within and outside the oil and gas industries.