Abu Dhabi: Members of the Federal National Council yesterday passed a motion to curb the increasingly high fees charged by recruitment agencies for domestic workers.

The House suggested that agreements be signed with countries exporting workers to determine placement fees to protect the rights of sponsors and workers alike.

Ali Eisa Al Nuaimi, a member from Ajman, put a question to Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, about the growing fees imposed by placement companies of domestic workers.

Al Nuaimi suggested that agreements be signed between the UAE and countries exporting domestic workers to curb exploitation by recruiting agencies, which charge up to Dh12,000 in fees for employment of a domestic helper.

A new standard contract to regulate relations between domestic workers and their employers will be introduced shortly, a senior official told Gulf News on Sunday.

Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, Director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, told Gulf News the contract which will be drawn up by a joint committee made up of representatives from the ministries of Interior, Labour, Health, and economic departments across the UAE will be taken up by the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection, chaired by Al Mansouri.

According to a draft law on domestic workers, passed by the Federal National Council in 2012, the standard contract will be signed by the employer and the employment agency, setting out job description and qualifications of the worker as well as obligations of the employer, specifically the nature of the work and the remuneration.

“The contract will also provide for financial obligations towards the workers travelling to the UAE, fees of the agent and the period required to bring in the employee. If the agent fails to honour these obligations as set out in the contract, the employer shall have the right to refuse offering the job to the worker, and the agent will bear the costs of returning the worker home without prejudice to the employer’s right to claim compensation for any injuries caused by the agent’s failure to meet the contract’s terms,” states the legislation which requires to be signed into law by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The contract, which can extend to no more than two years and is renewable for similar periods, shall more particularly specify the date of its conclusion, the date on which work is to begin, type of the work and workplace, duration of the contract, the remuneration and how it is paid, as well as any other terms required by the nature of the work.

A domestic worker, the law states, may be engaged on probation for six months, during which his or her service may be terminated by the employer, with the placement agency bearing the cost of sending the worker home if necessary. The agent has to repay all fees if the contract is revoked of the worker’s own will, because of the worker or because agreed terms of the employment contract are not honoured.