Amman - The Labour Ministry on Thursday asked the Ministry of Interior to waive residency fines for about 185 Filipino domestic helpers, allowing them to be sent home at the expense of the Philippine embassy in Jordan, an official from the Domestic Helpers Agencies Association (DHAA) said yesterday.
Since early last year, around 260 Filipino domestic helpers have sought refuge at their embassy over allegations of abuse by some employers, refusing to go back to work and asking to be sent back home.
Only 75 workers have returned to work so far, agreeing to continue until their two-year work contracts expire, DHAA President Ahmad Faori told The Jordan Times on Thursday.
The Philippine government has temporarily banned female domestic helpers from coming to Jordan for work because of the allegations. As a result, the fate of more than 600 applications for domestic helpers remains unclear.
The Labour Ministry has formed a joint committee, which includes members from the embassy, the DHAA and ministry officials, to look into the issue.
Labour Ministry Secretary General Majed Habashneh told The Jordan Times Thursday that the ban remains in place, however, Habashneh noted, a high-ranking official from the Philippine labour ministry is expected to visit the Kingdom next week to discuss the domestic helpers issue.
Jordanian families who have applied for Philippine domestic helpers stand to lose thousands of dollars as a result of the suspension, according to the DHAA.
In a related event, a meeting was held yesterday at the Labour Ministry between ministry officials and a DHAA delegation.
During the meeting, the ministry officials assured the association representatives the ministry intends to amend domestic helpers' recruitment regulations, which, they acknowledge, currently contain several loopholes, according to Habashneh.
Domestic helpers have previously not fallen under the Labour Law's jurisdiction and the recent allegations have forced the government to reorganise the process of hiring and recruiting of this category of foreign workers, Habashneh said.
The ministry has drawn up a plan for adjusting the process, but the initial draft has not been endorsed yet, although it was written after considering DHAA remarks.
But Faori said that his organisation was surprised by the proposed amendments, which, he claimed, would damage the whole sector, if adopted.
Faori said he was surprised by the draft of proposed regulations, which, he said, stipulated that the recruitment agency for domestic helpers must have an owner who holds a BA degree and that the office would not be authorised to employ Jordanian workers. Habashneh denied that such adjustments were proposed, stressing the ministry's efforts to create jobs for Jordanians lie at the core of its mission.
Faori added that employers have already paid JD500,000 in work permit fees for domestic helpers who could not come to Jordan for several reasons. He called on the government to refund these amounts to the recruiting agencies.
But Habashneh said the work permit revenues were collected in return for the ministries services to these offices, adding that the reason these helpers could not come to Jordan is the responsibility of the recruiting agencies in both countries.
Under the new regulations, the minister would be empowered to revoke the licence of agencies that commit human rights violations.
Employers who keep clean records would qualify for several incentives, such as exempting them from the notary guarantee, according to the secretary general.
By Hani Hazaimeh
© Jordan Times 2008
