Qatar Cup workers sue American company for exploitation

Dozens of Filipino workers who helped build Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums filed a lawsuit Thursday (12) alleging North American construction company Jacobs Solutions subjected them to dangerous and inhumane conditions.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Denver, Colorado, by nearly 40 plaintiffs, alleges Jacobs and several subsidiaries that oversaw construction projects forced workers to live in cramped, filthy quarters and in extreme heat for up to 72 hours at a time. or food.

They alleged that they did not receive all of their salaries and that their passports were confiscated, preventing them from seeking new jobs or returning to the Philippines.

Jacobs, a Dallas, Texas-based company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Qatar has drawn harsh criticism from human rights groups for its treatment of migrant workers, who, along with other foreigners, make up the majority of the country’s population. Scrutiny has intensified in the years leading up to the 2022 World Cup, with hundreds of workers reportedly killed and thousands injured during construction projects.

Qatar’s government has said very few workers have died or been injured, and in 2020 it raised the country’s minimum wage for foreign workers for the first time.

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