Gulf | Saudi Arabia
GCC plans unified stance on maids
Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council are planning to unify their stances with regard to future negotiations with countries providing domestic help, Saudi officials said.
- By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 June 4, 2007
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
- The Philippines has ruled to allow its housemaids to go Saudi Arabia only if the monthly salary is 1,500 Saudi riyals (Dh1,468.60).
Riyadh: Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council are planning to unify their stances with regard to future negotiations with countries providing domestic help, mainly in Asia, Saudi officials said yesterday.
The move was proposed by the Saudi recruitment offices following the decision taken by the Philippines government about its housemaid recruitment to Saudi Arabia, they added.
Sa'ad Bin Nahar Al Badah, chairman of the recruitment committee at the Council of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI), said in a statement issued yesterday among the conditions put by the Philippines to allow its housemaids to go to the kingdom is that the monthly salary should be 1,500 Saudi riyals (Dh1,468.60). A photo of the employer and his wife, the house sketch and the income of the employer should also be presented. Also among the new conditions, the employer should personally come to the Philippine embassy for an interview.
Al Badah, however, announced his committee's rejection of raising the monthly salary of housemaids to 1,500 Saudi riyals as well as rejection of other conditions placed by the government of the Philippines.
"The concerned authorities were notified about our decision," he added.
The decision of the Philippine government pertaining to recruitment of its housemaids to Saudi Arabia, which came into effect last March, led to a sharp decline in applications of Filipino housemaids.
The Philippine government, among other conditions, asked that the monthly salary of its housemaids should be raised to 1,500 Saudi riyals instead of 700 Saudi riyals, Saudi press reports said earlier.
Speaking to reporters in Riyadh yesterday, the chairman of the CSCCI recruitment committee Al Badah said that the GCC recruitment committee would ask the GCC secretariat General to tell the concerned authorities in the Philippines of the halt of visas of its housemaids to the GCC states due to the conditions demanded by the Philippine government and its violations of diplomatic protocols.
Halting recruitment
"The GCC recruitment committee will unify the GCC states' stances vis-a-vis recruitment of housemaids," he noted. He cited the case of the Philippines as an example in which these stances will be unified.
"Unification of housemaids' contracts in the GCC states will be one of the future plans for the GCC recruitment committee and soon relevant decisions will be implemented following ratification from the GCC bodies concerned. Any violation of agreements between a GCC state and a country providing housemaids will be treated with a collective stance against the countries providing housemaids," Al Badah pointed out.
He said that the meeting held in the Bahraini capital Manama last Thursday and attended by chairpersons of all GCC recruitment committees has reviewed decisions adopted by countries providing housemaids to the GCC states.
He added that the meeting also discussed finding other sources for recruiting housemaids. He said that the committee would hold an extraordinary meeting later this month in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Al Badah pointed out that if the Philippines insisted on implementation of its new measures regarding recruitment of housemaids, the Saudi recruitment committee suggests that there should be a halt of recruitment of maids from that country.
He warned Saudi citizens against going ahead with recruiting Filipino housemaids without knowing the details of the new measures. He added that these conditions are not in conformity with diplomatic protocols and norms.
"We do not want any citizen to apply for a visa from the Philippines until the committee discusses the whole matter and reaches a suitable solution."
More than 800,000 Filipino expatriates are working in Saudi Arabia. The number of Filipino housemaids is estimated to be some 240,000.
Have your say
What is your opinion of the conditions placed by the government of the Philippines? How will it impact the recruitment of domestic help from Asian countries in the long term?
Your comments
The Philippine government made reasonable demands that can curb or deter the exploitation of domestic workers.
Arul
Dubai,UAE
It is the prerogative of either party to set its own conditions - just like in any business undertaking. However, both parties can meet halfway to reach a win-win situation.
I believe this is a good initiative taken by the Philippine government to protect migrant workers who are more prone to abuse and exploitation. It should be made clear that the domestic helpers have their own rights and privileges just like any other professionals and that the host country should recognise this.
Mench
Quezon City,Philippines
The decision to set a minimum salary requirement is well intended. However, this is not fully foolproof since employers and employees can mutually agree verbally and later sign a document that will carry the minimum pay conditions.
Ismail
Dubai,UAE
Why don't we recruit house maids from Arab countries? Why don't we encourage our own people to enter into this field?
Obaid
Musact,Oman
It is important to know all the details of the employer to avoid exploitation.
Jhon
Manila,Philippines
Filipino maids deserve an increase in wages because they work hard. The Philippine government's conditions will serve to protect domestic workers from exploitation.
Melisa
Manila,Philippine
The GCC's reaction towards the Philippine demand for the benefit of its workers makes their attitude towards domestic help crystal clear. The demand by the Philippine government to raise the salary levels as well as collect more than ample information about potential employers is commendable, but to begin with, may be too much in the asking.
Bhakthavar
Lahore,Pakistan
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