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RIYADH—A Saudi legal expert has urged authorities to expedite the
enactment of a new law to protect the Kingdom’s estimated 1.5 million
housemaids.
“The new law will solve a number of problems facing domestic staff
and will help regulate the Kingdom’s unorganized domestic job sector,”
said Khaled bin Abdul Rahman Al-Fakheri, who is also a member of the
National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).
He said that domestic workers are facing numerous types of difficulties at the hands of their employers.
“Some housemaids are subjected to physical harassment while others
face mental torture mainly due to unpaid wages for lengthy periods of
time. There are also instances in which domestic workers create problems
for their employers such as refusing to work without providing
convincing reasons,” he said.
Some households use abusive language when dealing with their domestic
servants, he said, adding that this leads to the worsening of relations
between employers and their employees, and at times workers leave for
better working environments and higher wages.
Al-Fakheri attributed this to an absence of a law governing relations between employers and their domestic workers.
“This unorganized state of affairs has resulted in aggravating the
problems of illegal workers in the Kingdom in addition to increasing the
crime rate. Moreover, this also deals a severe blow to the Kingdom’s
image abroad despite its relentless efforts to protect the rights of all
members of society without any exception,” he said.
“The current labor law excludes domestic workers, denying them rights
guaranteed to other workers, such as a weekly days off, a cap on
working hours and overtime pay,” he added.
According to Al-Fakheri, the current sponsorship system is mainly responsible for the dismal situation of domestic staff.
“Sponsors find excuses in the system to completely control their
domestic workers. They even exploit this to an extent of denying them
their rights and withholding salaries,” Al-Fakheri said.
“In the absence of a specific law, both sponsors and workers do not
have any idea about their rights and obligations. Hence, most house
workers are not at all bothered about anything other than receiving
their salaries at the end of each month,” he said.
Al-Fakheri said higher Saudi authorities are very keen to protect the
rights of domestic workers, and drew attention to the decisions taken
by the Council of Ministers in 2000 and 2005.
Ten years ago, the Cabinet directed concerned authorities to deal
firmly with employers who violate the rights of their domestic workers.
In its decision in 2005, the Council of Ministers ordered the Ministry
of Labor to enact an exclusive law for domestic workers in the Kingdom,
which would be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
“Even after a lapse of five years, the law is yet to be enacted,”
Al-Fakheri said as he urged authorities to speed up the passage of the
law.
“The law must contain provisions to penalize violators from both
parties. It should also restrict relations between domestic workers and
sponsors to that relating to work. The employer should not have any
right to intervene in other matters, especially concerning his or her
residence permit (Iqama), passport, exit re-entry visas and the opening
of bank accounts,” he said.
Al-Fakheri also called for the establishment of a government organization to deal with such matters.
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enactment of a new law to protect the Kingdom’s estimated 1.5 million
housemaids.
“The new law will solve a number of problems facing domestic staff
and will help regulate the Kingdom’s unorganized domestic job sector,”
said Khaled bin Abdul Rahman Al-Fakheri, who is also a member of the
National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).
He said that domestic workers are facing numerous types of difficulties at the hands of their employers.
“Some housemaids are subjected to physical harassment while others
face mental torture mainly due to unpaid wages for lengthy periods of
time. There are also instances in which domestic workers create problems
for their employers such as refusing to work without providing
convincing reasons,” he said.
Some households use abusive language when dealing with their domestic
servants, he said, adding that this leads to the worsening of relations
between employers and their employees, and at times workers leave for
better working environments and higher wages.
Al-Fakheri attributed this to an absence of a law governing relations between employers and their domestic workers.
“This unorganized state of affairs has resulted in aggravating the
problems of illegal workers in the Kingdom in addition to increasing the
crime rate. Moreover, this also deals a severe blow to the Kingdom’s
image abroad despite its relentless efforts to protect the rights of all
members of society without any exception,” he said.
“The current labor law excludes domestic workers, denying them rights
guaranteed to other workers, such as a weekly days off, a cap on
working hours and overtime pay,” he added.
According to Al-Fakheri, the current sponsorship system is mainly responsible for the dismal situation of domestic staff.
“Sponsors find excuses in the system to completely control their
domestic workers. They even exploit this to an extent of denying them
their rights and withholding salaries,” Al-Fakheri said.
“In the absence of a specific law, both sponsors and workers do not
have any idea about their rights and obligations. Hence, most house
workers are not at all bothered about anything other than receiving
their salaries at the end of each month,” he said.
Al-Fakheri said higher Saudi authorities are very keen to protect the
rights of domestic workers, and drew attention to the decisions taken
by the Council of Ministers in 2000 and 2005.
Ten years ago, the Cabinet directed concerned authorities to deal
firmly with employers who violate the rights of their domestic workers.
In its decision in 2005, the Council of Ministers ordered the Ministry
of Labor to enact an exclusive law for domestic workers in the Kingdom,
which would be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
“Even after a lapse of five years, the law is yet to be enacted,”
Al-Fakheri said as he urged authorities to speed up the passage of the
law.
“The law must contain provisions to penalize violators from both
parties. It should also restrict relations between domestic workers and
sponsors to that relating to work. The employer should not have any
right to intervene in other matters, especially concerning his or her
residence permit (Iqama), passport, exit re-entry visas and the opening
of bank accounts,” he said.
Al-Fakheri also called for the establishment of a government organization to deal with such matters.
original link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]