Muhammad Al-Abdullah

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

 

DAMMAM —  After a hiatus of three weeks, the Philippines Embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Al-Khobar resumed paperwork for recruitment of domestic workers.



But recruitment offices have been informed that their transactions have been reduced by 50 percent. Now each recruitment office will be allowed to carry out five transactions instead of the 10 as was the case before.



The consulate in Al-Khobar has allocated Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for receiving documents submitted by recruitment offices after completion of procedures in Manila.



Completion of procedures in the consulate in Al-Khobar requires seven days. Documents are then sent to the embassy in Riyadh, which takes another seven days to complete the paperwork.



There is a backlog of some 300 paperwork belonging to 60 recruitment offices in different parts of the Eastern Province, according to sources.

A fee of SR180 is collected for each housemaid.



In May 2013, the Philippines and the Kingdom signed an agreement reinforcing the Standard Employment Contract, which both countries had agreed in 2012.



The Contract recognizes, among others, the SR1,500 minimum entry-level salary, weekly rest days and daily rest periods, paid vacation leave, non-withholding of passports and work permits, free communication, and humane treatment.



The agreement requires that the Kingdom be responsible for the authenticity of the employment contract, opening of a bank account in the name of the domestic worker, a 24-hour mechanism for domestic workers’ assistance, the expeditious settlement of labor contract violation cases, and facilitation of exit visas for repatriation upon contract completion or during emergency situations.



For the Philippine government, the responsibilities include ensuring that workers are qualified and medically fit with no derogatory record, and verification of all employment contracts submitted by Saudi recruitment offices.