Workers happy at new homes in Labour City

Workers are very happy at their new homes in the Labour City in Mesaimeer, near the Industrial Area.

They are enjoying free time playing, chatting with co-workers sitting on the green grass and shopping at a mall inside the city.

The city offers more advantages than a dream workers’ accommodation, some residents said.

It is at walking distance from Al Attiya Market in the Industrial Area, a favourite assembly point of labourers, especially on Fridays.

They gather to meet relatives, friends and acquaintances regularly, particularly during the weekend.

Workers say they feel more freedom in the city. This is true of those who have shifted from family residential areas as they were not allowed to venture out at night.

Qatar Living happened to put up a post on the same some days ago.

There were tweets regarding the same that have brought attention to this new city.

Qatar opens its biggest workers' camp - "Labour City" - for 70,000 people. Approx the same size as Carlisle. https://t.co/FbXvBTItUD

— David Harding (@Paris_Shilton) November 2, 2015

The rule in the city is that no one can cook in their accommodation. Private catering companies are serving hot meals to workers three times a day.

Breakfast and dinner are served at their accommodation and lunch is provided at work site after a meagre deduction from their monthly salary.

Another amenity is free Internet and Wi-Fi that have made workers closer to near and dear ones in their countries and friends and countrymen in Qatar.

A resident whose camp was shifted from Al Wakrah to the city during Ramadan said that his previous accommodation was not bad but there were restrictions.

“We would not feel free there. As it was in a family residential area, we were not allowed to go out after 6pm. We are not permitted here to prepare food in the kitchen that is also not bad. We are being served hot good quality food at our accommodation and work site at our company’s expense,” he said.

He said they were paid a monthly food allowance of QR150 now withdrawn as food is provided by a catering company contracted by their company.

However, one doesn’t get all this food in a day. “If we get chicken today, for instance, red meat would be served tomorrow and vegetables the day after.”

“My company provides free laundry services,” said an employee of a construction company. The city is a very safe place, CCTV cameras have been installed throughout. No one dares enter others’ rooms with malicious intention like stealing, he added.

Many workers have salary-withdrawal cards of a famous bank, but there is no ATM booth of the bank in the city.

This is making it difficult for them as for the withdrawal, they have to go all the way to Al Attiya Market and other places to withdraw cash. [The Peninsula]