After receiving news about sanctions against Qatar, the ministry quickly asked the Department of Overseas Labour to provide a report on the situation facing Vietnamese workers in Qatar. Most of them work for European contractors on constructions for the World Cup 2022 and Olympic 2018 sites.
Diep said the ministry had directed firms to monitor the situation and recorded the addresses of the labourers' workplaces and their contractors for possible support.
"We also directed the Department of Overseas Labour to ask labour attaches in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to meet directly with workers for support if necessary," he said.
Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep
When being asked about what the ministry would do if the situation worsened, Diep said Vietnamese firms must be ready to get their employees home. The ministry would also make plans for worst case scenarios which "no one wants to happen," he said."Aside from 1,800 registered workers, it's possible that there are many illegal workers in Qatar. We'll get everyone home in an emergency as our first priority is to ensure the safety of Vietnamese," he said.
He went on to say that they had some experience when they evacuated over 10,000 workers from Libya several years ago due to the civil war in the country.
"Of course no one wants a bad situation to happen but just in case, we'll ask for prime ministerial directives and use Overseas Employment Assistance Fund," Diep said.
