DUBAI: Domestic workers from The Philippines are to be allowed back into Saudi Arabia after the government announced it was preparing to lift a ban on their recruitment. The Gulf Kingdom is expected to reopen the door for the recruitment of Philippina maids after the two countries reached a compromise on work contracts that removes most of the terms imposed by Manila, including a good conduct certificate for the Saudi employer. According to the new deal, a monthly salary of $400 will be established as a minimum wage, inclusive of housing and food. “We have reached an agreement in this respect and we expect the Saudi ministry of labor to open the door again for issuing visas for domestic workers from the Philippines,” said Waleed Suweidan, director of the Saudi-Philippine business council in the capital Riyadh in comments published by 24-7 Emirates. “We have sorted out all previous problems and obstacles with the Philippine side, which has canceled all terms it has stipulated in the previous contract, including a certificate of good conduct by the employer in Saudi Arabia, the number of family members, and the employer's salary,” Suweidan told local reporters. Early this year, Riyadh had suspended the hiring of housemaids from the Philippines and Indonesia after the two countries introduced stringent terms for their employment in the Kingdom, one of the world's largest bases for Asian housemaids and the second for Philippine domestic workers after the UAE. The new move is not sitting well with women's rights activists across the world, who say the working conditions in Saudi Arabia for domestic workers is “appalling.” Maria Espinosa, a Spanish women's rights advocate who has promoted an increase in wages and conditions facing domestic workers in the Gulf region, told Bikyamasr.com on Sunday that she believes the new agreement will be a “step backward.” “What we are witnessing is the appalling nature of domestic work across the world. In Saudi it is horrific as we have already seen a number of workers be victims of violence and suicide, so this situation needs to be rectified and changed in the near future or more women will be at risk,” she said. BM
