Qatar Introduces 'Sham' Labor Reforms for World Cup Workers

Critics slammed the “sham” reforms of Qatar’s slave-like “kafala” labor system for foreign workers, as the oil-rich Gulf state struggles to shrug off damning press ahead of the World Cup 2022.

Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani passed new legislation Tuesday to alter the sponsorship system, which in its present form prevents workers from leaving without employer approval and limits workers’ right to switch jobs.

Rights groups responded that the reforms would make little difference to the hundreds of thousands of desperate foreign workers, who are building facilities for the 2022 international soccer competition.

RELATED: FIFA Fraud, Africa’s Corruption and Elite Silence

"The new labor law does not abolish the notorious exit permits, and workers still have to get their employers' permission to leave the country," said Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, calling the changes “sham reforms.”

Under new rules, workers will have to go through several bureaucratic steps, including seeking the permission of their employers, to be able to leave the country.

The revisions mean foreign workers will be able to change jobs at the end of a fixed-term contract, which usually last five years.

Some building companies have complained against the reforms and asked for the sponsorship system to continue, fearing they may lose staff during infrastructure projects.

But activists say that that this is an unlikely scenario, even with the changes.

"What we have seen so far is really inadequate. We welcome the fact that there's an attempt at reform but we need to see more," Amnesty International's Mustafa Qadri told AFP. "There's still time for Qatar to take further steps to address its problems and not expect that because of this announcement the pressure is off."

In May, major football World Cup sponsors Visa and Coca-Cola have begun to put pressure on FIFA to improve working conditions in Qatar, as the host country for the tournament in 2022 received damning criticism from labor and human rights groups.

"We continue to be troubled by the reports coming out of Qatar related to the World Cup and migrant worker conditions," credit card giant Visa said.

A 2014 report carried out by the multinational law firm DLA Piper found that 964 workers from Nepal, India and Bangladesh had died in 2012 and 2013 due to inadequate labor conditions.

RELATED: Theater of the Absurd

Currently, there are 1.4 million migrant workers living in Qatar, and that number is expected to swell to 2.4 million as the country prepares for the tournament.

Compounding the problem, many workers have been recruited by corrupt contractors in their home countries who have found them jobs paying significantly lower wages than promised.

Many have also been burdened with debt due to fees needing to be paid to employment agencies back home.

The International Trade Union Confederation has estimated that as many as 4,000 people could die during the runup to the World Cup.