RIYADH, 22 January 2004 — Sri Lanka will soon sign a unified contract with Saudi Arabia to look after the interests of the island’s domestic servants and their respective employers in the Kingdom, the country’s ambassador, Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, told Arab News. The diplomat was speaking after opening the Charity Bazaar of the Sri Lankan Expatriates Society (SLES) held on the embassy premises last week.
More than 1,000 families visited the fair which featured a wide range of Sri Lankan products. There were 48 stalls serving Sri Lankan, Indian and Pakistani dishes. The fair made some SR50,000 with part of the amount going to a Sri Lankan orphanage.
The ambassador said the contract would be signed by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and the Saudi Arabian National Recruiting Committee (SANRCOM). The aim is to solve the problems of both employees and employers.
Eighty percent of the 350,000 Sri Lankan workers in the Kingdom are domestic servants. The most common problem is delayed payment of salaries. The ambassador said employers wanted to retain wages for the first three months in case of possible complaints against the worker. The proposed agreement would solve this problem and employers would be required to pay the worker during the probation period.
Ansar said his mission receives some 150 runaway housemaids a month. The mission is open and special emergency telephone lines are available for workers to contact the embassy in the event of an emergency.
SLES President S.K. Subramaniam said the entire proceeds of the fair would be spent on its projects among which are free medical clinic, financial assistance for distressed Sri Lankans and the purchase of medical equipment for Sri Lankan hospitals.
