ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow said she was appalled with Qatar yesterday for essentially renaming the Kafala system under its new labour reforms.

The Gulf nation’s reforms come into effect yesterday, after years of intense criticism from unions and human rights activists over the slave-like working conditions in Qatar.

Under the new law, workers will allegedly be free to leave Qatar so long as they inform their employer first. Employees whose bosses refuse can appeal to a government committee that must address requests within three days.