International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) general secretary Sharan Burrow slammed Qatar yesterday, describing its labour law as “codified slavery” as reports estimate that 7,000 migrant workers will die by 2022.

 

A recent report has revealed that companies building the infrastructure for the World Cup will make a $15 million (£10.8m) profit, using 1.8m workers under the kafala system.

 

One of the companies exposed in this report are Carillion, who have been slammed by unions for blacklisting workers.

 

And Burrow slammed Qatar and the construction companies that continue to turn a blind eye to at the terrible working conditions in the Gulf state.

 

She said: “Qatar’s labour laws are worse for workers. All the government has done is to codify slavery. Employers can now even lend out workers to another employer without the workers’ consent for up to a year.

 

“Qatar refuses to make public the actual death toll of migrant workers or the real causes of death. The vast majority of the workers are working to deliver the huge World Cup infrastructure programme by the 2022 deadline. 

 

“By analysing Qatar’s own statistics and health reports over the past three years, previous reports of 4,000 workers dying by 2022 are a woeful underestimate. 

 

“The real fatality rate is over 1,000 per year, meaning that 7,000 workers will die by 2022. Qatar hospital emergency departments are receiving 2,800 patients per day — 20 per cent more than last year.”

 

A reported $220m is to be spent on building the resources to stage the football tournament from construction companies including ACS (Spain), Bechtel (USA), Besix (Belgium), Bouygues (France), CCC (Greece), Ch2M Hill (US), CIMIC (Australia), Hochtief (Germany), Porr (Austria) and QDVC (France).

 

Despite a huge investment, the workers forced to build the stadiums are paid $1.50 an hour under the kafala system and since the ITUC released its special report The Case Against Qatar in March 2014, no changes have been made.

 

Qatar promised to overhaul the law to improve workers’ rights but instead the changes — which come into affect in 2017 — add “a new layer of repression for migrant workers.”

 

Burrow said: “This crisis goes beyond the borders of Qatar, involving companies across the world who are profiting from the kafala labour system which enslaves workers. The Khalifa Stadium project, a showcase World Cup venue, pays workers $1.50 an hour. 

 

“It is estimated that more than 40 per cent of the world’s top 250 international construction contractors are participating in projects in Qatar. Shareholders with investments in 14 different stock exchanges are exposed to the profits using modern-day slavery under the kafala system.”