THE ITUC branded Qatar liars yesterday, calling on governments to stand up to their “bully tactics” as the 2022 World Cup hosts attempts to con the International Labour Organisation (ILO) into thinking it has repealed the kafala system.

The blood-stained Gulf State has submitted a document to the ILO ahead of a discussion next week surrounding the system which has been likened to modern slavery, after the ITUC lodged a complaint.

Despite claims from Qatar that the kafala system was abolished last year, more than two million migrant workers are still subject to pervasive violations of basic human rights, including being forced to stay in Qatar against their will for up to five years by employers who can still legally take their workers’ passports, as well as workers having no minimum wage and wages still being set according to nationality rather than the job the worker does.

ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow believes Qatar is “surpressing the truth,” saying: “The most outrageous claim in Qatar’s deceptive report to the ILO is that the notorious exit permit system has been repealed.

“This is a blatant lie — the truth is that workers still have to ask permission from their bosses to leave the country.

“In addition, figures provided by Qatar to the ILO on deaths and injuries to workers are highly misleading, ignoring for example the tragic deaths of 11 workers and injuries to 12 others in a company labour camp fire in June 2016.

“The truth is that hundreds of migrant workers die each year in Qatar due to the appalling working and living conditions.

“Qatar is putting in a huge public relations effort and using its financial power to try and compel governments to close off any possibility of an ILO commission of inquiry, but it continues to treat migrant workers as the property of their bosses and to suppress the truth behind the facade of the 2022 World Cup preparations.

“None of the benchmarks for reform already set by the ILO have been properly met. Governments need to stand up to Qatar’s bully tactics and show that they will not accept the evil of modern slavery in one of the world’s richest countries.”

The ILO will consider a proposal next week that would require Qatar to undertake real reforms, though no decision would be made until November.

“Qatar has another six months to stop the use of modern slavery and meet its international legal obligations on workers’ rights,” added Burrow.

“Millions of migrant workers and their families are hoping that governments at the ILO will stand with them in ending slavery, and the international trade union movement will hold governments to account.”