New contract to protect domestic helpers

Dubai: Absconding domestic helpers will not get their dues and will be punished as per the entry and residency law, according to a new agreement regulating the relationship between domestic workers and employers, which took effect yesterday.

The new contract, which has been implemented all over the country, says the sponsor must ensure the safety of the domestic helper and undertake to treat the worker humanely and with dignity and respect.

If the domestic helper wishes to terminate the two-year contract before it expires, he or she will have to pay for the return ticket home. According to the new unified contract, the domestic helper will serve a four-month paid probation period. If the domestic helper is not qualified or absconds during that period, the recruitment agencies must pay back all the expenses, including air fare, to the sponsor.

Recruiters' obligations

The domestic helper must perform duties faithfully and efficiently and respect the values, customs and traditions of the country. If the domestic helper dies during employment, recruitment agencies are obligated to repatriate the body and personal belongings to his or her home country. The sponsor must pay the domestic workers' heirs dues owed.

Recruitment agencies must ensure that the domestic helper does not perform dangerous or unethical duties that might endanger him or her.