This year – one of Lebanon’s darkest in recent memory
– raised hopes for one promising legal reform: a
small step towards dismantling the kafala system.
For decades, Lebanese employers have exploited
migrant workers under these draconian rules, which
permit working conditions that are woefully paid,
unsafe, and -- in some cases -- deadly. Under kafala,
migrant workers are excluded from Lebanon’s labour
laws and rely on their kafeel (sponsor) for residency.
The rationale for this system is simple: it props up a
financially lucrative industry.
In September, Labour Minister Lamia Yammine tabled a
new contract that promised to improve the basic industrial
rights available to migrant workers.1 The amendment
proposed changes to the unified standard contract,
which – if enforced strictly – would have allowed workers
to receive the national minimum wage and quit without
their employers’ consent, amongst other entitlements.2