KUWAIT : The Sri Lankan government recently passed a decision whereby the minimum wage of its domestic workers has been set at KD 60, according to a circular issued to the recruiting agencies by the embassy, in Kuwait. "The Sri Lankan government has decided to increase the monthly salary of its domestic helpers to KD 60 excluding food, accommodation, medical fee, in addition to air fare to and fro," adds the circular. Philippines was first to introduce the minimum wage KD 120 for its workers followed by Indonesia KD 60 even as recruiting agencies are of the view that ever since the introduction of wage structure the demand for maids from the aforementioned countries has fallen dramatically. Drawing parallels, recruiting agencies cast a gloomy outlook for the Sri Lankan domestic workers with regards to recruitment saying that the high salary would prompt them to hire maids from other countries.
Questioning the rationale behind the move, they added: "We have all seen the fate of the maids whose countries have adopted minimum wages for their workers. We firmly believe that it is totally unfair to pay some segment of domestic workers a higher salary as all of them perform the same chores."
It may be noted that the Interior Ministry has fixed a wage of KD 40 for all domestic workers in the country. Domestic labour law experts observe that though the ministry has laws in place to safeguard the rights of domestic workers, enforcement remains a hiccup.
The Indian government is also considering a minimum wage for its workers and is currently engaged in talks with various countries in the region.
Director of Behbehani Manpower, Abu Majed observed that recruitment agencies since the past few years were consistently hiring domestic workers from India and Sri Lanaka and that this may no longer be feasible.
"India is also planning to increase the salary for its domestic workers and this does not bode well for us.
As a matter of fact, we do not have many options on the table. We have been at the receiving end over the past two years as potential employers are now shying away from hiring maids due to various factors." To add to our woes, the Nepali government has banned its domestic workers from taking up jobs in Kuwait as it does not have an embassy here, he added.
Among some of the recent positive initiatives taken by the Interior Ministry towards the welfare of the domestics include establishment of a shelter for runaway maids in Khaitan. Maids from countries such as Philippines, India etc are also being rendered insurance cover as soon as they arrive in the country and other countries are also contemplating similar measure.
He said that some Filipino maids were still being paid a KD 45 monthly salary despite the minimum wage adopted by their government. "Some Kuwaiti recruiting agencies are working in tandem with their Filipino counterparts, thereby circumventing the minimum wage clause. This is a dangerous precedent and could land the unsuspecting sponsor in trouble," he added.
By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
© Arab Times 2008
