Manama: Saudis hiring Indian drivers will have to pay them at least 1,500 Saudi riyals a month, a Saudi daily said.
According to Okaz, Saudis who contacted employment agencies in the Eastern Province were told that under new regulations from India, official contracts have to be drawn between the Indian drivers and their employers and that they should be certified at the Indian embassy or consulate. The minimum salary must be 1,500 riyals, the officials who were not named said.
Indian drivers had been paid 1,200 riyals for their services before the new rules were issued, the daily said.
Saudi Arabia is the largest employer of foreigners in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
In 2007, the Indian embassy in Bahrain enforced a new wage structure for Indians, starting with fixing a minimum monthly wage of 100 dinars for domestic helpers. It also required the provision for mobile phone as part of new measures to protect its workers in the Gulf.
