New employment law effectively ends Qatar’s exploitative kafala system

Workers in Qatar may now change jobs without needing to obtain their employers’ permission, ending one of the most criticised elements of the country’s labour system.

The government has also announced an increase in the minimum wage, but rights groups have said the measure does not go far enough, leaving low wage workers earning as little as £1 an hour.

The reforms, which were first announced in October but passed into law on Sunday, will largely bring an end to the kafala – or sponsorship – system, under which workers are unable to change jobs without their employer’s permission, a practice that leaves many vulnerable to exploitation and in some cases forced labour.

Related: Migrant workers in Qatar face ‘structural racism’ says UN report

The UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) said the new law, along with the abolition in January of the exit permit needed to leave the country, “effectively dismantles the ‘kafala’ sponsorship system and marks the beginning of a new era for the Qatari labour market”.

Qatar’s treatment of its 2 million-strong migrant workforce, and the kafala system in particular, has attracted widespread criticism since the country won the right to host the 2022 World Cup. In 2017 the government entered a partnership with the ILO to begin to reform its labour system.

Guy Ryder, the director general of the ILO, said: “By introducing these significant changes, Qatar has delivered on a commitment, one that will give workers more freedom and protection, and employers more choice.”

Yousuf Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo, the minister of administrative development, labour and social affairs said: “These these new laws mark a major milestone … and will benefit workers, employers and the nation alike.”

The new minimum wage of 1,000 riyals (£205) per month will be introduced in six months’ time for existing contracts, replacing the current temporary minimum wage of 750 riyals. It will apply to everyone, including domestic workers. If employers do not provide accommodation or food, they must pay an additional allowance of 800 riyals.

Rights groups have welcomed the reforms but said the new laws must be enforced rigorously if workers were to benefit.

Amnesty International said Qatar had taken a significant step to protecting migrant workers but that the minimum wage remained too low. “To truly make a difference it will need to be regularly reviewed and progressively increased to secure just and favourable conditions for workers,” said Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice, Steve Cockburn.

A worker in Qatar told the Guardian that the price of food had skyrocketed in recent years. “It costs 400 riyals a month just for food these days, even if you are sharing a kitchen with colleagues or eating in a canteen. So it’s very hard for workers on a low salary,” said Chudamani Sapkota, a foreman from Nepal.

“If these reforms are implemented in line with the announcements, and migrant workers are genuinely able to change employers, it will be significant,” said James Lynch, a director at migrant rights group, FairSquare. “It would remove a central element of the kafala system, giving workers more ability to determine their own fate if their employers deceive or mistreat them.”

Lynch said the main test for the government would be whether it could enforce the minimum wage. A temporary minimum wage was introduced in 2017, but delayed or unpaid wages have remained commonplace. “Qatar has to address this issue urgently and ensure that workers can rely on getting their pay in full every month,” said Lynch.

In a report published last week, Human Rights Watch said wage abuse remained persistent and widespread, “including delayed wages, punitive and illegal wage deductions, and, most debilitating yet all too common, months of unpaid wages for long hours of gruelling work”.

A spokesperson for Migrant-Rights.org, which campaigns on workers’ rights across the Middle East, said: “We welcome the announcement and recognise the potential for positive impact on the lives of workers in the country … It is critical that these reforms are followed by stringent implementation and prosecution of those who fail to comply.”

These concerns were shared by migrants in Qatar. One worker from Ugandasaid: “[The reforms] are a good move, though they are long overdue. The bad thing is that no one monitors the implementation of laws here and many workers don’t know the laws, so employers can easily cheat them.”

Despite the latest reforms, Qatar has yet to address a series of other issues facing workers. Hundreds of workers continue to die each year of unknown causes, but the government has failed to commission research into their deaths. Trade unions remain outlawed and the majority of low-wage workers continue to pay illegal recruitment fees to secure their jobs, leaving many in debt bondage.

• Additional reporting by Roshan Sedhai