Rules set for house workers’ use of Saudi-Bahrain causeway
Employer’s presence, exit-return visa mandatory for worker’s travel
Cairo: Domestic workers travelling on a vital bridge from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain must meet certain conditions including being escorted by the employer.
The King Fahd Causeway Authority has pointed out that the house labourers’ transit to Bahrain via the bridge requires they have an exit-return visa, a valid travel document and being accompanied by the employer or the family.
The King Fahd Causeway was inaugurated in 1986 and has since been vital for movement between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, two members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
The 25km-long bridge usually sees heavy traffic during summer holiday and the Muslim festivals of Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.
Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia include housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, live-in nurses, tutors and nannies.
Saudi authorities have recently sought to regulate the house labour market. To this end, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources launched Musaned, a portal responsible for domestic labour affairs in the kingdom, to help customers learn about their rights and duties, and related services including the visa issuance, recruitment requests and the contractual relation between the employer and the worker.
The ministry has said it is necessary to conduct contracting via Musaned, being the official recruitment platform.
Last October, Saudi Arabia unveiled new rules for employing domestic labour, setting the worker’s minimum age at 21 years as part of efforts to preserve contractual rights. The regulations stress that the dues owed to the worker or his/her heirs are deemed first-degree debts. The contract should have a fixed duration, and if not, it will be considered renewable for one year from the date of the worker doing the job.
According to the rules, the house worker’s daily working hours are set at 10 hours and the employee is entitled to weekly paid successive 24-hour rest.