European parliament delegation told to expect significant changes to labour laws in wake of international criticism

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A long-awaited independent report commissioned by the Qatari government in the wake of a series of revelations about the death toll among migrant workers is due to be published by the end of the week.

Representatives from the human rights subcommittee of the European parliament are in Doha this week to investigate the issue and have been told to expect significant changes to the labour laws in response to a wave of international criticism.

But it remains to be seen whether the reforms will go far enough for the human rights groups and trade unions that have been calling for wholesale changes to the kefala system that ties migrant workers to employers and forbids them from leaving the country without permission.

After the Guardian revealed that dozens of Nepalese workers were dying in Qatar, and many others were heavily indebted and effectively trapped, the country's labour ministry appointed DLA Piper to "independently review all the claims made".

It immediately had to deny claims that the independence of the report could be undermined because DLA Piper was also a paid lobbyist for Qatari news network al-Jazeera.

The Guardian subsequently revealed that more than 380 Nepalese workers had died in 2012 and 2013, and more than 500 Indian migrants have died in Qatar since January 2012, according to official figures.

The Qatari authorities have refused to expand on the causes of the deaths, not all of which were on construction sites.

Qatar plans to spend £123bn in the next four years on infrastructure projects that tie into its "2030 Vision", of which hosting the 2022 World Cup is a part, fuelling a huge construction boom largely staffed by a migrant workforce of more than 1 million.

"The Qatari government has assured us they will make reforms to the sponsorship system and bring forward a law for the protection of domestic workers, where sexual abuse of women is at its greatest," said Richard Howitt MEP, a British Labour member of the subcommittee.

He called for three specific changes to the kefala system if the Qataris wanted to assure the international community they were genuine reforms rather than "in name only".

"Will the government itself become the sponsor rather than the employer? Will the government introduce a right for employees to seek a new job after a notice period without requiring permission from the previous employer?" he said.

"Will the government help set up regulated recruitment agencies in co-operation with sending countries, to end the problem of employees getting so indebted that they cannot escape?"

Howitt also met representatives of British and European construction companies active in the Gulf.

"Big European countries, too, taking advantage of lucrative construction contracts for the World Cup can set a leading example to the rest of Qatari society by establishing higher labour standards, encouraging labour representation and refusing any complicity with human rights abuse," he said.

A Fifa delegation, including president Sepp Blatter, is also expected in Doha this week. Fifa executive committee member Theo Zwanziger has been tasked with making progress on the issue in the wake of concerted international pressure.