Labor agreements won’t define wages of maids
Ahmad Al-Faheed, secretary-general for the Ministry of Labor for International Affairs, said framework agreements between labor and other ministries in recruitment countries will not define the wages of domestic help. Wages are subject to the markets standards and the question of supply and demand.
Al-Faheed added these agreements don’t define the details of the contract, like wages and holidays; these will be defined by the employment office, and approved by the related ministries in both countries within the framework agreement.
The Ministry of Labor signed a bilateral agreement with the Philippines to regulate the domestic labor recruiting process to achieve the interests of both countries.
The Philippines’ labor minister said during a press conference that the agreement will regulate recruitment according to international labor laws, and set the minimum wages at SR 1,500, and a maximum of SR 4,000.
“The ministry is negotiating with 10 countries to bring in domestic labor; framework agreements have been presented to ministries of labor in recruitment countries, to be able to reach a final agreement for domestic recruitment, and the Ministry is still awaiting their responses,” he added.
The Kingdom is trying to forge an agreement with Cambodia and Vietnam in Saudi Arabia’s first attempt to deal with the two coun- tries on the domestic employment. More agreements will be made with Indonesia, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
The Ministry of Labor signed the first agreement with the Philippines, which is a five-year contract that will be extend automatically for similar periods. It involves the forming of a mutual team that meets periodically to discuss and dissolve any emerging problems.
The agreement aims to protect the rights of the employer and the employee and train domestic labor in approved and specialized camps. The worker’s record should be clean from any violations or felonies and they should be healthy and have a certificate from an approved medical center stating they have no contagious diseases.