Bahrainis upset over rising costs for maid recruitment

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Many citizens are upset over the increase in housemaid recruitment costs, which according to them has now gone up to BD3,000 including the charges to agents.

They say they are not against the tripartite agreement or any legal mechanisms that ensure the safety and financial security of housemaids, but want the authorities to arrest the increasing costs in the recruitment process.

A citizen said the pandemic has altogether worsened the housemaid recruitment scenario. “We are not against the legal mechanisms that ensure the safety of housemaids, but such mechanisms should not be exploited, making the lives of citizens miserable.”

With regard to the recruitment of housemaids and domestic workers, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority adopted the Tripartite Domestic Contract, which regulates the relationship between the Employment Office, the employer (the household) and the domestic worker, and all recruitment offices are obliged to apply it.

The cost involved in hiring a maid from an agency will include the agent’s fee, the cost of bringing the maid to Bahrain and the cost of work permit. The citizens allege many agents are exploiting the situation, where availability of domestic workers and housemaids in the recruitment market remain on the decline.

“Although the legal charges to recruit a housemaid come close to BD300, the real expenses incurred are ten times.”

As per the statistics released by the Labour and Social Development Ministry, there are close to 90,000 registered domestic workers in the Kingdom. The domestic workers come to the Kingdom from many countries including Philippines, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, Ghana and The Seychelles.

Earlier, The Daily Tribune published a report quoting human rights activists, who urged the employers of domestic workers to be compassionate to give End of Service Benefits and leave pay in accordance with LMRA Law on Tripartite Domestic Workers.

Lyn Le Altarejos, Director of Worker Rights Bahrain, said: “Domestic workers play a pivotal role in home economics, whose duties are varied in order to make employers’ family life easier. They are responsible for undertaking the management of all the household activities with numerous duties that ranged from cleaning bedrooms to opening and closing shutters to dusting, polishing, and cleaning maintenance.

“It is a great blessing to a family with dedicated housemaids assisting with domestic chores such as cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, taking care of the kids and car cleaning.” She said the responsibilities of domestic workers have never been an easy routine especially for families in fast growing economies.

“Managing and taking care of the home with the kids with employers’ perfect expectation definitely is not an easy job and work over time. Additionally, away from their family back home, emotionally added to their burden.”