Row over terms of recruitment of Ethiopians in Kuwait
Labour union decries Addis Ababa stipulations as obstructive
Cairo: Conditions set by Ethiopia to allow the despatch of domestic labour to Kuwait has sparked controversy, according to a Kuwaiti media report.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Labour has set the recruitment price at KD120 (Dh1,440) for an experienced house worker, KD110 for a beginner, and KD1,300 in commission to be paid by the Kuwaiti recruitment agency, Kuwaiti news portal Almajliss reported.
The terms have drawn opposition from the Kuwaiti Union of Domestic Labour Office Owners.
The union dismissed the stipulations as rejected and obstructive, the report said.
The union said the commission level surpasses that levied in other Gulf countries.
“This undermines the memorandum of understanding,” the union was quoted as saying, referring to a pact recently signed by Kuwait and Ethiopia for hiring domestic workers.
The memorandum was co-signed in Addis Ababa in May by the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Ethiopia Nayef Al Otaibi and Ethiopian Minister of Labour Muferihat Kamil.
At the time, the Kuwaiti diplomat said the accord will consolidate cooperation between the two countries and diversify the domestic labour market in Kuwait that has recently experienced an acute shortage of house workers.
Earlier this month, Ethiopia’s envoy in Kuwait said Addis Ababa has put in place a set of strict measures for its workers in Kuwait.
Ethiopia is applying “tough and strict” measures before sending its citizens to work abroad, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas quoted the Ethiopian ambassador Sied Jibril as saying.
These measures will be applied to the house workers who will be dispatched to Kuwait. They will have, among other things, to pass language and skill training, he said.
The new policy for the house workers entails undergoing mental and psychological tests before their travel, the envoy said. They are, moreover, familiarised with Kuwaiti culture.