ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Thursday 15 May 2014 16 Rajab 1435 - Volume 19 Number 6066 Price: QR2 PRIMA heavy Al Sadd qualify trucks launched for ACL in Qatar quarter-finals Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 GCC must learn Confusion over sponsorship change to live with differences: Govt plans sweeping reforms Former PM DOHA: Media reports about the press briefing told The ‘some key amendments being Peninsula that from what he read DOHA: The GCC region should made to the labour law’ cre- in local English newspapers (not get used to different opinions ated euphoria in the expatri- The Peninsula) some key amend- and should be able to solve issues ate communities yesterday ments were to be announced at through discussions, according to but soon fizzled out after the the event. former Prime Minister and Foreign Ministry of Interior and the “But the whole thing turned Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Ministry of Labour held a out to be so disappointing. They Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani. press conference. were just proposals for change,” In an interview with Bloomberg It turned out that the sup- said the diplomat. FROM LEFT: Colonel Abdullah Saqr Al Mohannadi, Director of Human Rights Department, MOI; Ali Ahmad Al yesterday, the former Premier posed amendments were only This newspaper didn’t carry Khulaifi, Director of Planning and Quality Department, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; Brig Muhammad said Qatar was keen to have good proposals, which needed to pass any report yesterday of the Ahmed Al Atiq, Asst. Director General, Directorate of Border, Passport and Expatriate Affairs, MOI; and Salih relations with all its neighbours, through various stages before ‘amendments’ to the ‘labour law’ Saeed Al Sahwi, Labour Relations Department Manager, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, during the press especially Saudi Arabia. they are made into law and were that were going to be ‘announced’ conference at St Regis Hotel in Doha yesterday. ABDUL BASIT “There are countries bigger even subject to changes during since no amendments to a law is than us around us, but we always this process. possible without going through look to have good relationship with At the press conference, the the proper channel. our neighbours, especially with officials announced that gov- The State Cabinet normally Govt to sponsor workers under Saudi Arabia. This is a principle in ernment proposes to replace sends the draft of an amended the relation and the policy of Qatar. the sponsorship and exit per- law to the Advisory Council for its We should be more used to differ- mit rules for foreign workers suggestions and the latter refers new system; FIFA hails move ent opinions, and to discuss it and with an easier system but the it back with amendments. No try to reach a solution. But that is proposals would be first sent to such process has been completed not the habit in the region,” said the businessmen’s body for their in this case. DOHA: Qatar yesterday allowed to change the terms and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim. opinion and later to the Advisory The invitation in fact should announced plans to remove the MIXED REACTION conditions agreed to in the initial Asked why they (some neigh- Council. have talked about proposals to sponsorship system for foreign offer letter, and these terms and bouring GCC countries) are upset An invitation sent out in change the law, which, actually, workers and said exit permit ON SOCIAL MEDIA conditions would be incorporated with Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin English by the Ministry of was the case. rules would be reformed. into the job contract. Jassim said: “I don’t know. I believe Interior to media organisations Also, any proposed altera- But the government did not Salary, allowances, annual and whether you are upset or not is not late on Tuesday said the press tions to the labour law should give any time frame to make the Page 6 other leave, and other terms the problem, but whether you are conference was to “announce be technically announced by the above changes, which are being and conditions are to be decided willing to sit at this critical time amendments in labour law”. Ministry of Labour and Social eagerly awaited by expatriate job offer from a Qatari company between the employee and and discuss. The GCC has to see What was announced, though, Affairs. communities for long. or individual, and the government employer and put in writing in how to defend ourselves together was a series of proposals and the So carrying such a report would The proposal to change the would issue an entry visa. the contract. politically and economically.” government’s ‘intention’ to make have only misled the public, which sponsorship and exit permit It is the company or an indi- The contract would then need THE PENINSULA changes to the sponsorship and has been borne out by what hap- regulations would be referred vidual that would need to apply to be approved by the Ministry Continued on page 6 exit permit regulations, leaving pened at the press meet. to businessmen’s representative for the worker’s visa. of Interior (since the govern- media persons and diplomats The amendment news had body, the Qatar Chamber, and the The worker would then sign a ment would be the sponsor of a disappointed. created so much curiosity and Advisory Council for their views contract with the employer and foreign worker) and the Ministry TODAY’S EDITION OF A number of diplomats, par- euphoria that a journalist who and suggestions. his relationship with him or the of Labour and Social Affairs. THE PENINSULA ticularly from major manpower attended the press meet at the Senior interior ministry offi- company would be decided based The contract, whose format is INCLUDES AN EIGHT PAGE exporting countries, were St Regis Hotel said he was sur- cials said at a news conference on this contract. to be provided to Qatari compa- SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ON present at the event which was rounded, soon after the press that under the new system A probation period of three nies and individuals, would be the made out to be high-profile. conference, by the hotel staff who being proposed, the government months is to be given to the basis of the relationship between Foreign media representatives were keen to find out about the planned to be the sponsor of all worker, after which he has to go the two parties. also turned out in large numbers. “amendments”. foreign workers. back or be retained. THE PENINSULA A senior diplomat who attended THE PENINSULA A foreign worker would get a The employer would not be Continued on page 6 THURSDAY 15 MAY 2014 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com HOME Emir meets Jerusalem delegation The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday met a delegation from St. Joseph Hospital (Al Fransawi) in Al Quds (Jerusalem), at the Emiri Diwan. The delegation expressed thanks and gratitude to the Emir for support to develop and modernise the hospital to serve large segments of the Palestinian people. Cabinet approves draft law on investment funds DOHA: The Prime Minister The founder has to offer invest- negotiations before the signing and Interior Minister H E ment units of the fund to the pub- of the 2015 Paris Convention on Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser lic or private subscription within Climate Change. bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday two months from the date of the The Cabinet reviewed a memo chaired the weekly Cabinet ses- QFMA’s approval. The draft law from the Foreign Minister to sion at the Emiri Diwan. authorises non-Qataris — natural form an ad-hoc committee to Following the meeting, the persons or legal entities — to par- consider Qatar’s access to the Deputy Prime Minister and ticipate in the fund in accordance Convention on the Prevention Minister of State for Cabinet with its statute. and Punishment of the Crime Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah The Cabinet also endorsed a of Genocide the UN General bin Zaid Al Mahmoud said the draft decree amending the stand- Assembly adopted on December Cabinet approved a draft law con- ard customs tariff. It stipulates 9, 1948. It also reviewed a letter cerning investment funds. adding subsidiary items to the from the Minister of Education The draft law aims to cope with GCC standard customs tariff and and Higher Education on the capital market development, in deleting some items attached to outcome of the 14th conference conformity with the monitoring decree No. 53 of 2012. of the ministers in charge of edu- and supervising role of Qatar The Cabinet then approved a cation and scientific research in Financial Markets Authority proposal of the Foreign Ministry, the Arab world, the 16th meeting (QFMA) in financial markets, amending the Cabinet decision of the GCC Higher Education and maintain confidence in the trad- No. 15 of 2011 on setting up a Scientific Research Ministers’ ing system and protect owners of climate change and clean devel- committee and the fourth inter- securities and their dealers in a opment committee to follow up national forum on education held fair, transparent and competitive meetings of states which are par- in Riyadh. manner. ties to the UN framework agree- The session approved the third It includes the determination ment on climate change and the executive draft programme of of QFMA to issue a licence to the attached Kyoto Protocol and to the educational and scientific investment fund, set up a regis- issue recommendations. accord in general education with tration of investment funds and The vice-chairman of the com- Lebanon for the scholastic years determine the fund’s capital upon mittee will be a representative of 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017 incorporation to at least QR10m the ministry and will take part and a draft agreement on air or its equivalent.