There is no mandatory minimum wage for Indian domestic workers in the new recruitment scheme, Ahmed Al-Fuhaid, deputy labor minister for international affairs, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“This is an open market and the Indian government has not placed any binding conditions in terms of monetary compensation, but fair and attractive salaries are sure to be offered even for first-timers to the Kingdom,” said Al-Fuhaid.
The statement came after Saudi and Indian authorities met on Monday to finalize the details of a labor agreement signed between the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the Saudi Labor Ministry in January this year.
Al-Fuhaid had led the discussions on behalf of the Saudi side and I.P. Lakra, first secretary for community welfare, represented the Indian Embassy.
Saad Al-Badah, chairman of the national recruitment committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers, was also present at the meeting.
Monday’s meeting saw officials agree that salaries would be based on skills and literacy levels.
In addition, the recruitment of domestic workers will only take place through select authorized agencies that are part of the Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee (SANARCOM), authorities said.
SANARCOM is an authorized organization whose member agencies are located across the Kingdom’s provinces to recruit the maids through the Labor Ministry.
Sources said that monthly salaries would range between SR1,000 and SR1,200.
Maids should not be under the age of 40 and sponsors must deposit a financial guarantee of SR9,500 with the embassy.
The government had announced that it would begin issuing visas for Indian housemaids on July 10, but no visas have been issued so far.
“The ministry will do its best to protect the interests of both parties,” said Al-Fuhaid.
“The Labor Ministry has set up a 24-hour call center for Indian workers to voice their grievances following agreements with Indian counterparts. The call center will receive calls around the clock in eight different foreign languages, including Malayalam, Hindi and Urdu.”
“This is the first step toward establishing a dispute settlement mechanism,” he said. “More languages can be incorporated into the call center upon request from the Indian Embassy.”
“The new mechanism is a pilot project, which will serve as a role model for other countries.”
“Middlemen will be eliminated from the recruitment process, which will increase transparency and accountability between employer and employee.”
“This will ensure that action is taken against recruitment agencies found to be in violation of the terms of their agreements, in addition to introducing effective dispute settlement mechanisms with the active involvement of Indian diplomatic missions.”
The agreement also specifies that housemaids should be medically fit to work in the Kingdom and obey this country’s laws and traditions.
A joint committee comprising officials from the two countries will evaluate the implementation of the agreement and make changes needed over the five-year period, it was decided. Visas will be issued at the Saudi embassy in New Delhi and its consulate in Mumbai, while the Indian embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah will process the labor contracts.
Deputy Labor Minister Mufarrej Al-Haqbani said that the two countries have maintained excellent bilateral relations, with the recruitment of housemaids strengthening these ties.
Al-Haqbani said there was growing demand for maids in the Kingdom. He hoped that this agreement would result in other countries in South Asia also bringing domestic workers into Saudi Arabia.
Sri Lanka and Nepal are the only other countries from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation sending housemaids to the Kingdom. Countries elsewhere sending maids include Ethiopia, Indonesia, Morocco, the Philippines and Kenya.
An estimated 2 million maids work in the Gulf States, with 800,000 of this total in Saudi Arabia.
No minimum wage set for Indian maids
