Deputy Qatari Labour Minister Hussein al-Mulla said Tuesday (May 1st) his country plans to scrap its controversial sponsorship system, Qatar's Al-Arab reported.

The move is in line with the general trend in a number of Gulf countries that have begun looking for alternate systems, he said.

Al-Mulla told Al-Shorfa the sponsor system will be replaced by a contract signed between worker and employer that specifies the rights and obligations of each party.

Qatar has also banned companies from holding workers' passports in a step aimed at developing the recruitment process, he said.

The word "sponsor" is causing the country a lot of problems with many international organisations, al-Mulla said.

"Therefore, this term must be removed and replaced by a contract between the two parties guaranteed by the Ministry of Labour," he said.