Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) has announced on Monday its decision to implement Wage Protection Service related to salaries of domestic workers through the Musaned platform.

In the first phase, the Wage Protection Service will be implemented for domestic workers, who arrive under new contracts, effective from July 1, 2024. As for the contract of the existing house workers, it will be applied to them gradually in phases based on the number of domestic workers at each employer. All categories of domestic workers will come under this service by January 1, 2026.

This service is in continuation of the initiatives of the ministry in developing the domestic workers sector and ensuring the rights of both the domestic workers and their employers. It aims to ensure transparency in the process of paying salaries and facilitating it through the use of digital wallets and approved banks through the ministry’s Musaned platform. This service enhances the security and reliability of transferring wages, which preserves the rights of contractual parties.

The new service will be applied to employers who have more than four domestic workers effective from January 1, 2025. As for employers who have three or more workers, it will be applied to them on July 1, 2025, while those who have two or more workers, this service will be applied on October 1, 2025. This service has been available through the Musaned platform since April 1, 2022, and has received wide positive interaction from customers and parties involved in the contractual relationship.

It is noteworthy that the service of paying domestic workers’ salaries through specific official channels includes a number of benefits for the employer as it strengthens the verification of salaries for domestic workers. It makes it easier for the employer to end the procedures related to the worker upon the end of the contractual relationship or upon the worker’s travel. This service also leads to the protection of the employer and the worker when a dispute breaks out between them.