Qatar heroes? (economist.com)

Qatar Airways begrudgingly moves with the times Given that trade unions are banned in Qatar, it should come as no surprise that the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has never been the strongest supporter of Qatar Airways. The two sides have been at loggerheads since 2013, when the ITF obtained copies of an employment contract […]


October 30, 2015

Qatar Airways protesters target FC Barcelona members meeting

A group of airline cabin crew gathered outside the FC Barcelona members’ meeting on Sunday to ask the football giant to reject further sponsorship by Qatar Airways (QR). In the protest, at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya in Barcelona, the cabin crew were masked and gagged because QR staff are denied the right to […]


October 29, 2015

Qatar’s labour law “reforms” a sham (ituc-csi.org)

Labour law changes announced by the Government of Qatar for 2017 add a new layer of repression for migrant workers and leave the kafala modern slavery system intact. Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said, “Promises of reform have been used as a smokescreen to draw in companies and governments to do business in Qatar as […]


October 28, 2015

Protesters ask FC Barca to rediscover its soul

A group of airline cabin crew members will gather outside the FC Barcelona members’ meeting in Barcelona on Sunday (25 October) to ask the football giant to search its soul – and reject further sponsorship by Qatar Airways. The protest will take place at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, Av. Diagonal, 661-671, 08028 Barcelona […]


October 23, 2015

Qatar Airways silent protest at airline show

A masked and gagged cabin crew member protested outside a global airline show in London this week ahead of an address by a Qatar Airways executive. The protest, during day two of the World Low Cost Airlines Congress, was part of the ongoing ITF campaign against the airline, which denies its workers the right to […]


September 22, 2015

ITF: FC Barcelona election ‘will decide fate of Qatar Airways sponsorship deal’

Tomorrow’s FC Barcelona presidential elections are likely to seal the fate of any further sponsorship deal by Qatar Airways (QR), according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). The ITF says that the gulf between the airline’s treatment of staff and the club’s strong social ethos is now so huge that it will figure in […]


July 17, 2015

Fan opposition to Qatar goes viral (huffingtonpost.com)

By James Dorsey Senior fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies World Cup host Qatar is discovering the reputational risk involved in hosting high-profile mega sporting events. Qatar Airways’ sponsorship of FC Barcelona is producing exactly the kind of publicity that is a corporate sponsor’s worst nightmare while a Swiss investigation of the Qatari World […]


July 15, 2015

Tens of thousands ask Barca to find a new sponsor

Remember we told you about this petition? (See the news story here). How Barcelona FC is a club dedicated to upholding community and social values. Qatar Airways is an airline proved guilty of discrimination, where staff live in fear. Think the two don’t go together? Neither do many of Barca FC’s fans. An incredible 40,000 […]


July 13, 2015