Employers rights vs domestic help rights?

Question

dear h: there are some similar contracts that the saudi government made with a couple of asian countries...and i've heard about the more recent steps the UAE is taking in regards...would look up more details about them for sure, thanx.

Answer 1

Oh it happens world wide.. In USA, you also hear stories of people hiring minorities from Mexico, Puerto Rico etc and they have the exact same complaints...

So its not just a Saudi thing...

Answer 2

Companies should hire them,manage them  and employ then in houses for 8 hours /day only..Otherwise people will abuse  this service ..Kafeel mess should be eliminated ..Everyone comes by himself to serve in this country ..There should be no pressure anywhere ,,He/she  comes with a work visa  ,fully insured ,fully responsible about his act..The minute there is a problem it should be immediately dealt with  by the company who recruited him ..So if there is any abuse ,the guy who abuses should be banned from using this service

They should  allow locals  to apply  in this respect..

Answer 3

It's the same in the UAE. Here you have the possibility to hire a maid through an agency or bring your maid with you when you relocate in the UAE. Most are live in maids/nannies. I will not deny that mistreatment happens, like Minte mentioned, this also happens in other countries. What bothers me a bit that you never hear any opposite storries. In many families the maid/nanny belongs to the family, get treated well and does not want to return back home after her contract is due.

The UAE changed some laws regarding maids a couple years ago. First of all, everybody who wants to hire a maid has to fullfill certain requirements. Secondly there are agreements between countries where the maids are coming from and the UAE Govt. These rules are different for different Nationalities. The new Law regulates the working days and hours, a minimum wage, days off etc.

It will not work that a maid will be sponsored by a company and goes to work with a family just for certain hours. It's not possible to run a family like a factory. That may work for a maid who is suppose to do only the cleaning, but not for one who does the cooking and looking after the children. Where would they live if not with the family? How would they get to the house if not living there? Other problems also would occur. Most maids you can not compare with a single educated Philippina nurse, secretary etc who lives on her own. Maids being sponsored by a company would mean to establish a "female maids camp". Who wants that?

Sugesstions for the Saudi Govt.? Well I think the UAE made some good decisions.

Punishment? If the employer abuses any Law, he should be banned from hiring any other domestic help. Rape, sexual abuse etc. also should be punished additional like doing it to any other woman.

If the employee abuses any Law, she should be sent home and an Immigration ban should be imposed.



This maybe would make both parties thinking before acting.

In case you are interested in the mentioned UAE Law, please let me know.

Take care.

edit: below please find some articles you may like to read:

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/8903

http://www.dubainews.net/story/329836

http://www.gulfnews.com/uaessentials/res...

http://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/labo...

http://cache.search.yahoo-ht2.akadns.net...

Theme maids: please do not have me started!

Answer 4

Dear Soul,

i suggest u is any issue like this with ur friends or family members avoid police station any how he or she should manage to approach labor court once they r in court they can get a justice.

b,rgds

S. Mirza.

Jeddah

KSA

Answer 5

I agree with skaka.  It would be better if they work for a company, and then the family who wants a maid will pay the company for the maid's services.  Then they will only be in the house for specific hours each day or each week.  There are way too many problems with maids living in the house, from both sides...  I personally won't hire a live-in maid, but I would be interested in hiring someone part time (like 10 hours a week maximum) to help cleaning in the future or to help out if I want to have a large invitation at my home.

If the maids work for a company, then there's more protection for both the Saudi family and the maid.  Any problems can be reported to the company, and they can take the responsibility of dealing with it.

Answer 6

.....yes its true there is a case of the both but it is very rare for maids to steal and abuse the kids of the family than maids who are abused by the kids and the father of the family....its like maids who abuse 5% compared to 95% maids are abused......

....so, I'll talk about the majority and not the minority.....main thing should be - maids should not work 24/7 in a household to avoid abuses. secondly, maid should not do all the household work including babysitting, gardening, cooking and laundry.....I assure you she can't do it alone. She's also human like us. There should be a maid for babysitting alone, for cleaning the big house alone, for laundry and ironing clothes alone, for cooking and buying at groceries alone, etc etc. It means there should be a minimum of 4 maids in the house. But the family who hired maids wanted to save money and pay one maid to do all the stuffs for SR700 a month. Its ridiculous right? But its a fact....sad to say but its true....

......I'm just showing you the real scenarios here....and you're maybe shocked to know what the truth is.....even in other countries, there is a separate maid who do babysitting alone, who do cleaning of the big house, laundry and ironing clothes, etc. but only here in middle east countries like Saudi who have maids to do all the stuffs paid in SR700 and some even pay less than that amount and some even were not paid at all, totally abused, been used, tortured mentally and emotionally, giving grave threats, etc......the truth is, I pity those maids who come here because of poverty in her country she accepted the job with no choice, accepting her fate and accepting all the risk that she will experience just to help her family in her country......

....what I suggest, Saudi govt. should protect these people because without them, who'll do the job? who'll do those things which Saudis cant do? They are very important to any saudi household. Most Saudi families cannot live without them. Maids should be sponsored by a company and not by the family anymore to track down abusers and to avoid maids abuses. In this way, there are assurance that maids are well taken care of, been paid her monthly salary, not abused because she can report it direct to her company that the family are abusing her, and vice versa......this is the only way and the proper way.......another solution for this to avoid abuse is -- Asian countries should not sent any maids to work here anymore and let the Saudis learn the hard way by themselves.....what solution would you prefer?

Answer 7

I don't have time for a complete answer.  But, the Saudi Gazette and Crossroads Arabia have given attention to this issue.  See the articles and comments:

http://xrdarabia.org/2008/06/13/runaway-...

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm...

and a story about worker's rights...

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm...