RIYADH -- Saudi Arabia began accepting applications for domestic workers from the Philippines Monday after the Kingdom lifted a ban on recruitment.
"The Saudi Labor Ministry announced it will begin accepting applications for domestic workers from the Philippines starting Monday," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The move came after the ministry "reached an agreement with the Philippines on a final version of contracts between the two sides," SPA said.
The negotiations between the Saudi and Philippine side ended with nullification of some of the conditions, a Philippine Embassy official said.
Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, who oversees the welfare of Filipinos working overseas, said in a statement that the Kingdom had agreed to lift its ban on Philippine workers imposed in June last year.
"More than the lifting of the ban, I find the decision of the Saudi government to increase the mandated salary for our household service workers further proof of a shared commitment to protect (their) welfare," said Binay.
Philippine officials said Thursday that Saudi Arabia had agreed to a minimum wage of $400 a month for Filipina maids.
However, Yahya Aal Maqbool, chairman of the recruitment committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he did not expect any increase in recruitment costs.
Saudi Arabia is a major employer of Filipinos, with 1.2 million working in the Kingdom as manual laborers, technicians, saleswomen and maids. They are part of an estimated nine million Filipinos who work overseas and who account for some 10 percent of the population. Their remittances are a mainstay of the economy.
© The Saudi Gazette 2012
