Saudi Arabia has a plan to improve domestic workers’ job security

The Kingdom on Sunday floated a new plan to ensure job security for domestic workers. The Ministry of Labour and Social Development said that domestic workers are to be provided with bank accounts so that they are paid on time.

Under the new move, firms have to upload their employees’ contracts via the state run musaned website. In addition to this, firms are also obligated to identify their employees’ monthly salary, reported Arab News. 

Khaled Abu Al-Khail, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, said the move seeks to protect rights of all parties who are in a contractual relationship between domestic workers and their employers.

He added that this is a rights based step, taken in hopes of improving work place environment and increasing job security. The ministry also encouraged firms to report employee related violations or problems through official channels.

This new move is a step in improving the working conditions of Saudi Arabia’s migrant workforce. Foreign workers have experienced job cuts in the recent months owing to a fall in global oil prices.

Saudi Arabia’s migrant workforce, which comprises of 10.4 million people from all over the world, claim that they’re not paid their final settlements when they are terminated. Many of them say that there’s no legal framework for them to receive their dues.Those who stay back to receive their compensation don't have access to healthcare and live without proper accommodation. 

Indians, who form the largest migrant workforce, complained about their working conditions to External Affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj via Twitter earlier. Employees of Saudi Oger, a construction company, said they were laid off and  hadn't received seven months' salary. They added that they were living in deplorable conditions. Following this, the Indian consulate in Riyadh appointed a lawyer to settle the workers' dues and distributed 16,000 kgs of food.