Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette



JEDDAH – The Ministry of Labor will start issuing from today (Thursday) recruitment visas to hire female domestic helpers from India, Deputy Minister of Labor Dr. Mufarrij Al-Huqbani announced on Wednesday.



He said the joint Saudi-Indian working team has finalized the recruitment contract based on the Agreement on Labor Cooperation for Domestic Service Workers Recruitment signed by Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih and then Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi in New Delhi in January this year.



The agreement contains several provisions to ensure the authenticity and implementation of the employment contract, the recruitment cost, action against recruitment agencies violating laws and a mechanism to prevent cheating by middlemen. It also seeks to establish a mechanism to provide 24-hour assistance to domestic workers.



The standard employment contract provides minimum wages, working hours, paid holidays and dispute settlement mechanism.



The agreement also includes putting specific conditions for accepting domestic workers. They should be of good conduct, should not have legal or criminal cases. They should pass medical check-up, abide by the laws and traditions during the period of work in the Kingdom. The agreement is for five years and will be renewed automatically for similar periods.



A committee of senior officials from both countries will monitor the implementation of the pact to straighten out any difficulties. The committee would meet regularly to discuss issues arising between the two parties from time to time.



Al-Huqbani said recruitment offices and companies will have to commit to the formula of the contract published on the websites of the Ministry of Labor and Musaned (Support) www.musaned.gov.sa/en.



The contract has been distributed to the National Committee for Recruitment and recruitment offices.



Although India has signed labor deals with various countries in the Gulf, this was the first time the country has entered into a labor cooperation pact with the Kingdom.



Of the around 500,000 domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, mostly working as maids, helpers, drivers and cleaners, around 10 per cent are women. There are 2.8 million Indian workers in Saudi Arabia and Indians form the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom.