Yahya Maqbul, chairman of the Labor Recruitment Committee at the JCCI, said he is optimistic about the free flow of Indonesian labor because the Indonesian authorities have repeatedly denied rumors that they are stopping Indonesians workers from going to the Kingdom, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported on Saturday.
There has been a perceptible fall in the number of domestic workers coming to the Kingdom following recent media reports about the severe ill treatment of maids, which sparked protests in Indonesia.
Maqbul said there has also been a recent fall in the number of maids registering with Indonesian labor export agencies willing to work the Kingdom. “Families in some Indonesian provinces refuse to send their female relatives to Gulf countries following a virulent campaign by non-governmental media in that country,” he added.
To ensure a sufficient supply of maids in the Kingdom, he said the authorities have signed new agreements with Cambodia and are in negotiations with Vietnam.
Maqbul, however, urged Saudi families to get rid of the habit of depending on foreign housemaids. He also said employers should bring any unacceptable behavior or violation of contract on the part of a domestic worker to the notice of the concerned authorities so that the situation does not worsen and spiral out of control.
The JCCI official also requested the Saudi authorities to make amendments to the current regulations to enable a sponsor to change the sponsorship of maids for free. Eid Al-Saad, a Saudi labor importer, said many families are compelling female members of their families to withdraw their applications for work in the Kingdom following the media uproar in Indonesia.
He also accused greedy middlemen as the driving force behind the anti-Saudi propaganda, which he attributed to them becoming disappointed following a 50 percent slash in the $800 commission they used to receive for labor supply.
He also called on Indonesian authorities to do away with the service of middlemen for the recruitment of maids. He further urged the Saudi Ministry of Labor to maintain close relations with the Indonesian labor authorities to remove any misunderstandings in that country about the Kingdom's labor market.
