Caretaker Labour Minister Lamia Yammine said on Friday she had issued a standard unified contract that “enshrines the rights” of the foreign workers, whose plight during Lebanon’s economic crisis and COVID-19 lockdown sparked global outcry.
Rights groups warned, however, that strict enforcement including labour inspections and complaints procedures would be required to dismantle the kafala system, which binds migrant workers to one employer and is common in the Middle East.