Target FIFA World Cup: Bangladesh embassy in Qatar upskills migrant drivers

Illustration: TBS

Sakhawat Hossain is a Bangladeshi migrant worker who went to Qatar as a driver eight years back. He did well as a cab driver until the Covid-19 pandemic hit and brought his livelihood to a screeching halt. The pandemic years were especially hard on drivers as movement restrictions were strictly implemented all over the world. 

But Sakhawat and his fellow Bangladeshi drivers have renewed hope for the future after the pandemic restrictions were lifted – as Qatar is going to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 starting on 20 November. 

Thousands of people coming to Qatar means more income for the drivers.  

Of around four lakh Bangladeshi migrant workers in Qatar, nearly 15,000 people work as drivers. Apart from the ones who drive personal cars (personal chauffeurs), around 5-7,000 drive cars registered under different companies known as limousine companies, or owned by individuals who run them under the banner of a particular company. 

In Qatar, you cannot drive passenger cars except under the banner of a registered company. 

Now, the Bangladesh embassy in Qatar has come forward to enhance the skills and earnings of Bangladeshi drivers like Sakhawat for the fast-approaching football World Cup. 

"I have participated in a training class at the embassy," Sakhawat said. "They taught us English language, taught us how to behave with the passengers; how to greet them and how to be cordial with them, etc."  

The embassy launched a training programme on 24 October, which will run till 11 November. 

More than 400 drivers from 30 Bangladeshi-owned companies are receiving direct training during this timeframe. For the vast majority who are left out, the embassy is developing video tutorials. 

Bangladeshi academic community, including professors and researchers at reputed universities in Qatar, are conducting training classes for the embassy. 

"The football World Cup is the primary trigger for the programme. Millions of spectators from all over the world will come to Qatar. The language of communication is expected to be English. The basic English language programme will equip the Bangladeshi cab drivers to effectively converse with the passengers and help them take passengers from point A to point B," Jashim Uddin, Bangladesh Ambassador to Qatar, told The Business Standard. 

"They can also project a positive image of Bangladesh. In addition to this, a skill in spoken English will help them [the drivers] get jobs with higher wages in future. We hope that the drivers will form small groups to practice, and the number of the groups will increase," he added. 

Md Alamgir Hossain, a Bangladeshi owner of Pick Quick Limousine company, that employs more than 500 Bangladeshi drivers said, Bangladeshi drivers are in a good position in Qatar. "A driver, on a good month, can earn up to 6,000 Riyals in Qatar. If he performs well, he can earn more than this amount only in tips," said Alamgir. 

He said drivers who run his cars can keep the entire money, except for around 300 to 500 Riyals in fees for using their company banner. The directly employed drivers with the company share the income 50-50 with the company. Around 40% of his cars run on Uber, while the others run on the traditional rent-a-car system, or for office rent etc, Alamgir said. 

Embassy 'setting example' by upskilling 

"Skill and everything is fine, but Bangladeshis need the most is the ability to speak in English," said Dr Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman, Minister (Labour), at the Bangladesh embassy in Qatar. "We have seen why the Indians dominate in the skilled job sector, it is because they are good at English. They can explain things well in English."  

Dr Rahman explained that "Upskilling can happen in two ways. One is the way the Philippines prepare their workers at the domestic level - they don't send workers without training, so that they can create an impression here. Another factor in upskilling is behaviour while serving the customers. The Filipinos have mastered this art. They know how to behave with customers, and they are good at English." 

"This is the first such initiative of this embassy. The training we began is part of upskilling. Taking the drivers' training as a base, we will expand the training into other areas," he said. "We want to set this as an example that others can follow," he added. 

Most of the Bangladeshi migrant workers in Qatar are in the construction sector. A large portion of the workers worked in the construction of football stadiums, which was consequently flagged by multiple human rights groups as exploitation. Around 6,500 deaths of migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been reported, according to The Guardian. 

"Accidents increased as the construction boom disproportionately rose there. This phenomenon is pervasive. The occupational safety and health standards [were] not properly followed there, particularly not at all in small construction companies," said C R Abrar, Professor of International Relations and Executive Director of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU). 

"They should investigate all the deaths that have occurred due to accidents, and hold the companies responsible to pay the compensation," he added. 

As the construction projects end, Bangladesh Embassy in Qatar's Dr Rahman said these workers will now be shifted to other sites. The other main sectors where Bangladesh workers dominate, Dr Rahman said, are security, driving, hotels, agricultural farm, barber shop, cleaning etc. 

However, the Qatari employment market is "changing rather dramatically," said Ambassador Jashim Uddin. "As the work for infrastructure is coming to an end, we will need to think afresh. Qatar needs skilled and professional workers. But they don't have a large pool of such a workforce. Bangladesh can contribute to supporting Qatar in this regard." 

"In this new context, we can undertake training programmes. The ongoing programme provides much hope and confidence to design programmes to upskill our migrant workers to cater to some extent the needs of this changing employment market," he added. 

Professor Abrar said that "this is a novel, innovative move. Obviously, there is a time factor involved here. But I guess such challenging times also create opportunity. Not only for the World Cup, when tourism thrives in the post-Covid world, these demands will keep rising. Driving is one sector that opened up the opportunity for Bangladeshis."

"This gives our government some idea how you can be innovative and provide some soft skills. Basically, this is a soft skill. They don't have to speak sophisticated English," the professor added. 

The Pick Quick Limousine owner Alamgir Hossain appreciated the embassy's initiative to train his drivers. But he is sceptical about how much extra income the World Cup would bring in. 

"The government has advanced the metro railway system, is offering free bus transports, etc. If all these free services are provided, who is going to hire our cars? The [Qatari] government did a great job, but this may not be as good a business season for us as I had hoped," he added.