The council of ministers in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday passed a landmark law to protect the rights of domestic workers along with their employers.
The law allows housemaids to enjoy nine-hour free time daily, a weekly day-off, one month paid vacation after every two years and medical leave, Saudi Labor Minister Adel Fakeih told Arab Times.
The law would help normalise relationship between domestic help and their employers, he added.
“The employer will have the right to put the worker in probation for not more than three months by the new law,” the minister said.
“This will help the employer understand whether the worker can do the job and how he/she behaves,” he further said.
According to the law, the employer should pay the salary at the end of every month without delay, provide suitable accommodation and end-of-service benefits after four years.
If the employer violates the contract, he will be fined SR 2,000 and banned from recruitment for a year.
For second-time violators, the fine will increase to SR5, 000.
They will also be banned from recruiting for three years. Third-time violators will face a lifetime recruitment ban and a fine of SR10, 000.
The workers will be fined SR2, 000 and prevented from working in the Kingdom for violating the rule.
They will have to pay for the journey back home as well.
On contact, Emdadul Haque, Bangladesh Embassy labour counselor in Riyadh said he did not receive any official letter from the Saudi government in this regard.
He, however, said the decision obviously would encourage the housemaids to work there.
Bangladesh Ovibashi Mahila Sramik Association Director Sumaiya Islam welcomed the Saudi government’s decision but feared the law still lacks standard as the housemaids are not allowed to go out of their working place.
“It is a timely decision for the housemaids. But the Saudi government must allow the housemaids to go to their own countries embassies on their weekly day-off so that they can share their problems”, she said.
Source: The Daily Star
