International trade union groups have accused Saudi Arabia of mistreating migrant workers in a complaint filed Wednesday with a U.N.-backed labor organization, as FIFA prepares to approve the oil-rich kingdom as a host for the 2034 World Cup.
The complaint, filed by the International Building and Wood Workers Union, called on the International Labour Organization to investigate “serious human rights violations and wage theft” in Saudi Arabia, which it said has affected at least 21,000 workers over the past decade.
“The complaint highlights the exploitative living and working conditions of the country’s vast migrant workforce, which BWI notes are akin to forced labour,” the global trade union group said in a statement.
BWI cited alleged demands for illegal recruitment fees, withholding of wages and passports, restrictions on worker turnover, and physical and sexual violence “particularly against women and domestic workers.”
They claim that the practices violate ILO conventions on forced labour, freedom of association and collective bargaining. Saudi Arabia is a member state of the ILO and has ratified the Forced Labour Convention.
The ILO is a tripartite institution bringing together governments, employers and workers, with the goal of “setting labour standards, formulating policies and devising programmes that promote decent work for all women and men.”
The country faced similar complaints a decade ago about 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, which also needed major stadium and transport projects ahead of the soccer tournament.
Qatar faced little scrutiny over its labor practices, including the kafala system, until it was selected by FIFA to host the World Cup in 2010. Qatar worked with the ILO to overhaul much of its kafala system.
FIFA is now under pressure to avoid similar mistakes and work with independent experts to use the leverage it now has over Saudi Arabia to prevent a repeat of this.
Saudi Arabia was all but confirmed as the 2034 host country by FIFA in October last year but must formally submit its candidacy in July. It is the only candidate in the race to be decided by FIFA’s member federations in a vote on December 11.
The BWI said its complaints against Saudi Arabia “require immediate response from FIFA and the international community.”
FIFA and Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid team have declined to comment on human rights issues ahead of the formal submission of the bid in July.
FIFA requires bidders to host the World Cup to submit to an independent human rights assessment and to ensure that hosting the tournament “will not adversely affect internationally recognized human rights, including labor rights.”
Saudi Arabia needs to build up to 10 of the 14 stadiums needed to host a 104-match World Cup involving 48 teams. One stadium project includes a high-tech cliff-top venue with seating for 45,000 fans near Riyadh.
Hosting the World Cup is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s overarching Vision 2030 project to modernize Saudi society and diversify the economy away from reliance on oil.
The crown prince works closely with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and sees sporting and entertainment events as key to his projects, including the creation of a futuristic city called Neom.
Saudi Arabia is also building a ski resort in the mountains near Neom to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029, and public transport and venues in Riyadh for the 2030 World Expo.
Saudi Arabia’s critics say it amounts to “sportswashing” the country’s reputation and an attempt to distract attention from its human rights record and the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Geneva-based BWI says it is made up of more than 350 trade unions representing 12 million members in 117 countries.
“Saudi Arabia, where trade unions are banned, has blatantly ignored international labor standards and failed to compensate migrant workers who have been abused for over a decade,” BWI Secretary-General Ambet Yusun said in a statement.
The complaint to the ILO was submitted at the ILO’s Annual Conference in Geneva under the leadership of Director-General Gilbert Houmbo, who served as Togo’s prime minister from 2008 to 2012.
BWI’s complaint was supported by human rights organisations Amnesty International, Ekidem, FairSquare and Human Rights Watch.
“Saudi Arabia’s labor system clearly gives employers excessive control over workers and allows them to commit egregious abuses with impunity,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.
She said the BWI allegations “serve as a wake-up call for companies and organisations such as FIFA that are planning large-scale events or activities in Saudi Arabia.”
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