Before Saudi World Cup, a deal for Indian workers

INDIA SHOULD NEGOTIATE AGREEMENTS WITH SAUDI ARABIA TO ENSURE BETTER PROTECTION OF MIGRANT WORKERS, PRIORITISING FAIR WAGES, AND SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS

- Rejimon Kuttappan

On December 11, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) announced Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 Fifa Men's World Cup. In its bid evaluation document, Fifa highlights that the country's financial capability to host could potentially surpass Qatar's $200 billion spectacle in 2022. However, trade unions and migrant workers' rights advocates argue that Fifa's decision exposes the body's hollow commitment to human rights.

Saudi Arabia's 2022 census reports that 13.4 million migrants make up 41.6% of its population. The Indian government estimates that 2.6 million of these are Indian.

Like other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Saudi Arabia follows the kafala (visa sponsorship) system, which grants employers excessive control over migrant workers' mobility and legal status, leaving workers highly vulnerable to abuse, including passport confiscation, delayed wages, and other exploitative practices that can amount to forced labour. The government also frequently conducts mass arrests and deportations of undocumented migrant workers.

Many workers become undocumented through no fault of their own, often after employers falsely accuse them of "absconding" to avoid accountability for abusive practices. Migrants caught in these situations are denied the opportunity to challenge their detention or deportation.

The 2034 World Cup would require 11 new stadiums, four refurbished ones, over 185,000 new hotel rooms, and extensive upgrades to airports, roads, railways, and bus networks. It is just one piece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030, involving spending on so-called "megaprojects" and "giga-projects".