Employment agreement in Qatar not ratified since April 2014, problems for BiH citizens

The Labour and Employment Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina has urged BiH citizens to be cautious when going to work in the State of Qatar, as the Agreement between the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of the State of Qatar on regulating the employment of BiH citizens in Qatar has not yet been ratified, and therefore is not being applied, it was announced from the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH has informed the Agency about the problems faced by BiH citizens employed in companies based in Qatar who are seeking assistance because they have not received their salaries for three months from their employer.

- Attention is drawn to everyone who finds an employer or receives a job offer in this country to ensure they have a valid employment contract with the employer, that they must obtain a work permit and a work visa before arriving in this country, and to thoroughly inform themselves about the potential employer.

We remind you that the agreement was signed on April 6, 2014, in Qatar by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Zlatko Lagumdžija, and to this day the Council of Ministers of BiH has not ratified it.

The agreement was supposed to enable BiH citizens to access the labour market in the State of Qatar for the first time legally, with guarantees from both signatory states, and it was also supposed to enable the participation of BiH construction companies in the very demanding projects for Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

But it is evident that it was a case of "promises, foolish joy."