Employment pact for Filipino workers kicks in
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 13: The agreement on the employment of Filipino workers in Kuwait comes into force today after being ratified Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid who signed for Kuwait, and Foreign Minister Alan Peter Cayetano, represented the Philippine side, reports Annahar daily.
The agreement stipulates a number of responsibilities imposed to both parties. The Kuwaiti employer is forbidden to keep any documents or identification documents of the domestic worker, especially the passport, which is the property of the Philippine government and should not be in the possession of the employer.
The agreement also guarantees rights of each worker to food, housing, clothing and registration in the health insurance covering his/her illness or work injury. The employer is under obligation to compensate the worker for work injuries and transfer the remains to the Philippines in the event of death of the worker and pay wages for the full month during which the worker died and other rights provided for in Kuwaiti law.
The agreement allows domestic workers to own and use mobile phones and other means of communication to communicate with their families and the government of their country and prevents the employers from confiscating the same.
The employer shall open a bank account in the name of the
domestic worker and provide an appropriate opportunity for the transfer of monthly salary to the Philippines as stipulated in the contract.
The agreement states that upon renewal of the contract after its completion at the request of the parties or the transfer of the worker’s residence to another employer, two copies of the bilateral contract approved in Kuwait between the worker and the new employer shall be released.