The audit report mentions good practices and positive
results, and suggests some additional areas for improvement.
The QDVC Workers’ Welfare Committee elections were recognized as fair and open.
The global union federation BWI (Building and Wood Workers’ International) conducted the first on-site audit of the operations of QDVC (a Qatari company owned by Qatari Diar Real Estate Investments Company and VINCI Construction Grands Projets) in Qatar on 8 and 9 January 2019, accompanied by French trade union representatives (CGT, CFDT
The audit was conducted at QDVC’s main project, the Lusail Light Railway Transit System (LRT), and at the workers’ accommodation.
It included interviews with workers on site, workers’ representatives and safety champions without management supervision;
On the second day, the ILO Project Office in Qatar and the Qatari Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (
ADLSA ) took part in a presentation of the ongoing pilot project between QDVC, the ILO and ADLASA, which aims to ensure the fair recruitment of workers hired in Bangladesh for Qatar by QDVC’s recruitment and placement agencies.
The audit covered recruitment and employment practices, health and safety, working conditions, accommodation and grievance mechanisms for all QDVC workers, including subcontractors and manpower providers.
The findings of the audit
the Incident and Injury Free (IIF) safety programme;
the “buddy peer-support program” to prevent psycho-social risks;
the grievance mechanisms for employees and subcontractors.
The audit also noted that workers are paid above the minimum wage and are satisfied with their overall conditions. The main concern that
The auditors were able to attend the election of QDVC’s Workers’ Welfare Committee (WWC) and noted that the ballot and the counting of votes were carried out properly.
A month before the audit, 31 candidates campaigned to be elected to the WWC. The level of participation in the election was 84% (
and increase of 12 points compared to the previous election), with 879 out of a total workforce of 1,047 casting their votes.
QDVC had previously organized elections for its WWC in 2016, but this was the first time that an independent third party was able to observe and assess the process.
BWI and the French unions participating in the audit suggested areas for improvement including:
providing WWC representatives with more time off to consult with other workers;
introducing better integration of the existing grievance mechanism and the WWC;
encouraging more detailed analysis of non-work-related accidents.
Following the audit, QDVC undertook to follow up the BWI recommendations, to continue with the training of the newly elected workers’ representatives and to increase collaboration in the area of fair recruitment of workers. The full audit report can be consulted here:
Ambet Yuson, General Secretary of BWI, commented on the joint audit report, saying, “BWI, including representatives of our members in France, was satisfied that the joint audit corresponded with the terms of our framework agreement. Company representatives were transparent, responded to our questions, and welcomed our recommendations. The election of the members of the Workers’ Welfare Committee was fair and open. The WWC can make a major contribution to the welfare and working conditions of the workers. The BWI is hoping that orders will pick up so that QDVC workers can continue to work. It looks forward to continuing close cooperation with QDVC and VINCI and is ready to increase cooperation, for example in the key area of recruitment.”
Philippe Tavernier, CEO of QDVC, said: “A year ago, QDVC signed a tripartite agreement with BWI and VINCI to demonstrate QDVC’s transparency regarding its CSR policy and to promote continuous improvement of its practices.
Franck Mougin, VINCI’s Vice-President, Human Resources & Sustainable Development, concluded: “Signing the agreement was a significant first step, but its application and how it is implemented on the ground are even more important. The audit of our practices with BWI was
About BWI
At its World Congress in Buenos Aires, on 9 December 2005, the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW) and the World Federation of Building and Wood Workers (WFBW) created a new global union federation, the Building
About QDVC
QDVC is a Qatari shareholding design and
About VINCI
VINCI is a global player in concessions and construction, employing more than 210,000 people in some 100 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in
PRESS CONTACTS
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