The Qatar Labour Law and the QFC Employment Regulations: the key differences explained
Type
E-journal
Date
19 Jan 2016
Jurisdiction
Qatar, Qatar Financial Centre
Taxonomy
Contract & Conditions of Employment, General Employment & Labour Law, Termination of Employment, Rights & Duties of Employees & Employers, Pay, Benefits & Tax
Copyright
LexisNexis
Relevant company
Clyde & Co
Legal reference
Qatar Law No. 14/2004
Analysis
The terms of employment of the majority of employees currently working in Qatar are governed by Qatar Law No 14/2004 (Labour Law) except those individuals and entities which are expressly excluded, including the employees of the Qatar Government and Qatar Petroleum amongst others. These employees are often subject to employment laws and regulations which are materially different than those set out in the Labour Law, e.g. they receive additional allowances, longer holidays and may be subject to different termination provisions.
Whilst the excluded employees are aware of which regulations govern their employment there would appear to be a general misconception in Qatar as to how the Labour Law exclusions are applied, i.e. to which entities and employees, which often leads to questions being raised as to why one employee working for one entity receives one benefit when another working for another entity does not.