The International Trade Union Confederation and the Building and Woodworkers' International unions have lodged a complaint against Qatar with the International Labour Organization, saying that the country's refusal to allow migrant workers to join unions is linked to the death of workers. The unions say that not allowing migrant workers, who make up 94% of the Qatari workforce, to unionize violates global labor standards and has lead to a large number of worker deaths, including a reported 200 Nepalese workers a year. The country has no minimum wage, and workers are required to be sponsored by an employer, making changing jobs difficult. Qatar is the site of the 2022 World Cup, for which it is building stadiums, airports, roads and other infrastructure.
See "Qatar's union ban linked to migrant deaths, labour leaders say", Regan Doherty, Chicago Tribune, September 27, 2012