Substitutes for runaway maids made mandatory

It’s mandatory on all recruitment companies to provide substitutes for absconding maids to their employers over the entire term of their contracts, the Ministry of Labor said.
Ziyad Al-Sayegh, deputy minister for customer services and labor affairs at the ministry, said the decision was taken to protect citizens' rights and curb the phenomenon of runaway maids.
He said 6,524 maids had run away from Saudi families in May alone. There are many who run away before and during Ramadan to make more money through black market, he pointed out. Some private recruitment offices only provide substitutes if maids run away in the first three months of their contracts, he said.
Al-Sayegh said ministry officials were working hard to organize the labor market and protect the rights of employers, workers and recruitment offices. The ministry has signed multiple labor agreements with several countries, and is looking to recruit maids from different nations.
He said employers should report runaways so that they can get full refunds and other compensation. "Employers have the right to file complaints with the nearest branch of the committee that deals with labor disputes, including against absconding workers."
He said the ministry reserves the right to use the term sponsor, which is usually applied to Saudi businessmen who have a number of expatriate workers under their sponsorship.
Al-Sayegh said the ministry wants to replace the term "running away from work" with "absconding from work." He said the selection of workers for recruitment includes comprehensive medical examination at centers carefully chosen by the Kingdom's embassies abroad.
The penalties for workers could include a SR2,000 fine and a permanent ban from entering the Kingdom. In addition, violating workers may also be required to pay for their deportation costs. If they cannot afford it, then the government would cover this cost.