FIFA has said that it will monitor Qatar's "treatment of migrant workers building the 2022 World Cup facilities closely, following revelations that labourers on the first stadium under construction have been earning as little as 45p an hour and working up to 30 days a month," according to Robert Booth of the London GUARDIAN. A FIFA spokesperson said that it had "repeatedly urged the Qatari authorities to address any unacceptable conditions for migrant workers in the country." The spokesperson added that while Qatar's reforms of workers' welfare represent a "significant step in the right direction," it would monitor implementation closely for "concrete actions in the months ahead." FIFA said in a statement, "We are doing everything in our power to improve the welfare of migrant workers and to use the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a catalyst for positive social change." Labour Shadow Int'l Development Secretary Jim Murphy said that the revelations were "utterly devastating for FIFA and Qatar 2022." Murphy: "When abuse of workers was first unearthed, football authorities assured us there would be change." Qatar's World Cup organizing committee said, "There are challenges with calculation of overtime pay and hours and we are working with the contractor to rectify any non-compliance" (GUARDIAN, 7/30).
