Cairo: The arrival of new Filipino domestic workers in Kuwait after a ban of more than a year has been stymied over curtailed training courses held for them in the homeland, a Kuwaiti unionist has disclosed
“Due to the global pandemic, the number of workers attending each of these courses has been reduced,” head of Kuwait’s Union for Domestic Labour Khalid Al Dakhnan added. These courses are organised for Filipinos who have not worked before in the Gulf.
He cited another obstacle to their arrival. “It lies in the delayed issuance of passports for the labour in Manila. This takes three months,” he told Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida. “There are contacts with the labour union there to find urgent solutions to these matters to accelerate the workers’ arrival,” Al Dakhnan added.
He, however, expected that the first groups of the Filipinos to arrive in Kuwait after the Eid Al Fitr holiday.
Al Dakhnan urged potential employers of the domestic workers to thoroughly check the employment contract before signing it to know well about their obligations and duties. “Once signed, the contract becomes obligatory in full,” he said.
“Painstaking efforts have been made to resume recruitment [from the Philippines]. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to abide by the law to ensure the continuation of the ban lifting and avoid any problems in the future,” he added.
The Philippines enforced a ban on sending new domestic workers to Kuwait back in January 2020, after a Filipino domestic worker was sexually abused and killed by her employer.
