Qatar Agress To Inspections Of 2022 World Cup Construction Sites

Qatar World Cup 2022 organizers, ­"under fire" over labor conditions, said that "they will allow international trade union inspections of stadium sites from next year," according to the AFP. Qatar's Supreme Committee for ­Delivery & Legacy announced an agreement with the global Building & Wood Workers' International (BWI) group for "joint inspections of construction and accommodation sites." BWI Secretary-­General Ambet Yuson said that the agreement "was an important step to 'ensure workers' safety on projects directly related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.'" The union and the supreme committee "will also form a joint working group that will report on the inspections." These reports will be "independent" and released to the public, the statement added. The announcement comes as Qatar prepares to "dramatically increase the number of laborers working on World Cup projects from around 10,000 to more than 30,000 over the next year" (AFP, 11/15).