http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13§ion=0&article=90322&d=23&m=12&y=2006
Saturday, 23, December, 2006 (03, Dhul Hijjah, 1427)
Recruitment of Domestics
Aziza Al-Manie . Okaz
Al-Madinah newspaper reported recently that the rate of
domestic servants fleeing their sponsors is as high as 70 percent. When they
flee, to find jobs with higher salaries, their sponsors lose large amounts of
money spent recruiting them and paying for their visas.
People that hire maids illegally say that the maid-recruiting
system is too complicated and rife with a lot of red tape. They urgently need
somebody to help out with the home chores, so they employ these workers
illegally.
Employing fugitive maids encourages others to escape their
contracts, which feeds to black market with human resources.
My suggestion is this: Why not assign the burden of
responsibility for these maids on companies assigned the task of recruiting and
contracting domestic servants, rather than making this the job of individuals
seeking domestic help? If the worker flees, he or she would be returned to the
company rather than the person who employs the worker. It would then be the
responsibility of companies like this to cover the expense of deporting
intransigent workers.
No Saudi would work as a driver and maid, no matter how poor
and in need they are. Drivers are also indispensable based on the fact that
women are not allowed to drive in our society.
For these reasons domestic servants should fall under
different work regulations than others in the work force.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
