Agencies circumvent wage clause
KUWAIT CITY: Some Kuwaiti manpower recruitment agencies in collusion with their Filipino counterparts are circumventing the minimum wage clause adopted by Manila for its domestic workers, says Hashem Majed, Managing Director of Al-Huqooq International, a firm safeguarding rights of workers. It may be recalled that the Philippines government last November set a minimum wage of KD 120 for its domestic workers and since then the number of the Filipino domestic workers coming to Kuwait has fallen significantly. The minimum wage set by the Interior Ministry for domestic workers in Kuwait is KD 40.
Speaking to the Arab Times on Sunday, Majed called on Kuwaiti as well as the Philippines' authorities to take immediate action to halt this unscrupulous practice and warned that sponsors were being kept in the dark by recruitment agencies about the whole shady exercise to suit their own partisan ends. He said many newly-recruited Filipino maids were being paid as low as KD 50 monthly salary.
Elaborating further, Hashem added: "The thing is that many domestic workers in the Philippines are aware of the fact that they will not find an employer under the present minimum wage condition. So they reach mutual agreement with the recruitment agencies to work for a monthly wage of KD 50 or thereabouts. This does not expose them to any problems but helps their cause in light of a dispute with their employer." He observed that it was a huge challenge for the authorities in the Philippines to crackdown on such fraudulent practices without the cooperation of the local recruitment agencies. Al-Huqooq has repatriated numerous stranded workers. Under the present laws, Hashem explained that the labour contract of a domestic Filipino worker is required to be attested by the Labour Ministry in the Philippines before it becomes effective. Hashem evaded a query when asked whether the Philippines embassy in Kuwait was aware of the illegal practices of recruitment agencies.
Hashem said recruitment agencies in Kuwait take sponsors of Filipino maids for a ride and that the sponsors in question are not presented the work contract in its entirety. He added that sponsors are only provided with the last page of the contract that does encompass the salary of the worker among other details. Hitting out at the domestic recruitment agencies, he said the sponsor of a Filipino maid could face serious legal problems in light of a dispute, especially if the latter takes refuge at her embassy. Explaining the point further, he added that the maid can demand KD 120 monthly salary as stipulated in her work contract and that the sponsor is liable to pay the maid that salary. "Supposing if a sponsor wishes to repatriate his maid, then he has to pay the maid full indemnity in line with the contract. All in all, the sponsor is a loser, while on the other side of pond...it is a win-win situation for the domestic worker." He said the number of Filipino maids coming to Kuwait has dramatically fallen since the authorities in the Philippines set a minimum wage for its workers. Now around 100 maids are recruited from the Philippines on a monthly basis as against over 1,000 earlier, he added.
Referring to the stranded Bangladeshi workers, he said the ministry of social affairs should take urgent steps to solve the long-pending problems of the cleaners. He also impressed upon the need to construct temporary shelters to house distressed workers employed in the private sector. "I am of the belief that an organization such as Al-Hilal Al-Ahmar should help the stranded workers as the same organization has been instrumental in delivering aid to disaster hit areas across the world. These workers are helping Kuwait to push the wheel of development. As a matter of fact...they deserve the relief supply more than anybody else." He said some companies by maltreating their workers were earning bad reputation to Kuwait and that such companies should be prosecuted and their files should be closed at the ministry of social affairs in order to set a precedent.
By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
Arab Times 2007
