Regarding freedom of movement, all QDVC workers hold a Qatari residence permit, which is required to move freely within the country. They also have access to a safe in which they can store their personal documents (passports, employment contracts, etc.). If any worker chooses to leave employment, QDVC systematically issues a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) enabling them to work for a different employer. It also delivers exit permits to workers who wish to leave the country for a holiday, an emergency, or any other reason. These were already QDVC’s practices long before the Qatar government’s 2020 reform of the kafala (sponsorship) system.
QDVC also provides employee representation and grievance procedures to encourage and strengthen social dialogue in the company. A workers’ committee was formed as of 2011 and has gradually expanded its powers and scope over the years. It discusses issues such as working conditions, wages, living conditions and health and safety. QDVC has held regular elections for employee representatives since 2016. That year, QDVC’s election was the first of its kind in Qatar. The company also provides resources to candidates to assist them with their campaign and with their work as an employee representative, once elected. In accordance with the terms of the 2017 framework agreement, Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) trains employee representatives in Doha, with support from QDVC and VINCI. In 2022, 50 issues were raised by employee representatives, and every one of them was resolved. Seventy-six percent of the employee representatives were satisfied with the solution proposed by the management team.
QDVC is the first Qatari company to sign an agreement with a labour union and hold free elections of workers’ committees
Since 2016, QDVC has formally requested that all its subcontractors and labour suppliers facilitate the free election of workers’ committees. QDVC offers assistance to its subcontractors in establishing these elections and verifies compliance during audits of human rights performance and living conditions. In addition, QDVC has developed internal systems to enable workers to report concerns in their own language to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Quality, Safety and Environment (QSE) officers. Since 2017, an independent grievance procedure has been in place to enable employees of QDVC or of its subcontractors to approach BWI. This independent channel has proven effective, since BWI has handled complaints from employees, including those of subcontractors.
Given the complexity and the structural nature of human rights risks, VINCI and QDVC strive to take a comprehensive approach by collaborating with multiple stakeholders, including trade unions, universities, NGOs, international organisations and government authorities.
A notable example of this joint work is QDVC’s participation in a study on ethical recruitment run by New York University’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. Based on quantitative and qualitative information provided by QDVC and interviews with workers, managers, labour suppliers and subcontractors, the report acknowledged the effectiveness of the due diligence measures in place and considered that “QDVC’s standard represents the most responsible recruitment practice that currently exists in the industry” (https:// media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/files/documents/NYU_Qatar20SSP20Report_May29_v2.pdf). The study aimed to determine whether QDVC’s responsible recruitment practices could be replicated elsewhere in construction or other industries to promote the rights of migrant workers.
In another example, between 2018 and 2021, QDVC participated in a public-private partnership with the ILO Project Office in Qatar to create a migration corridor between Qatar and Bangladesh with no recruitment fees for workers. After an initial audit performed by the NGO Verité, a complete capacity-building programme was rolled out for recruitment and placement agencies in Qatar and in home countries. Follow-up meetings to provide support have been held in Doha and Dhaka. To evaluate the impact of ethical recruitment on 343 workers and their employers, an independent assessment was conducted, based on interviews with workers at various stages of the recruitment process and during their employment. The findings of this pilot project were published at the end of 2021 (https://www.ilo.org/beirut/projects/qatar-office/WCMS_820253/lang--en/index.htm). One of the conclusions was that the capacity-building workshops resulted in an immediate and profound improvement of placement agency practices. Placement agencies improved the drafting and terms of contracts with recruitment agencies in home countries and followed the use of subagents more closely, in particular by providing a transparent breakdown of costs. The ILO intends to replicate the pilot study in other countries and industries. VINCI regularly provides testimonials to other companies, government authorities and customers about the pilot study carried out with ILO and the ethical recruitment practices used. It also participates in training sessions delivered by the ILO.
The pilot enabled the practices employed by VINCI/QDVC, ranging from responsible recruitment to introducing workers’ committee elections, to be presented by various stakeholders as an example to be followed by other companies in Qatar. Though innovative at the time they were first implemented by VINCI, these practices are now widely accepted and encouraged. VINCI created a dedicated page on its website to facilitate access to information and documents relating to its human rights initiatives in Qatar ( http://bit.ly/3Zei4IJ)
