The government of Saudi Arabia has changed the rules related to giving jobs to foreign workers. There are changes in the new rules for both the employer and the worker.
Gulf News reported on Sunday that authorities have issued new guidelines for their citizens regarding the recruitment of domestic workers. The new rules state that no one under 24 years of age can hire an unmarried domestic worker. Now one’s eligibility for issuance of visa for domestic worker will be verified as part of the process. Also, the person providing the work will have to select the profession and nationality of the domestic worker through the Ministry of Human Resources and submit the application informing the recruitment office.
Saudi Arabia introduced new rules for hiring domestic workers in October last year. According to which a person below 21 years of age cannot be hired. The rules will also look at amounts owed to the employer, first-degree debt, while insisting on a fixed term of the contract. Further, if no fixed period is mentioned then the contract will be considered renewable for one year from the date of joining by the employee.
House help is required to have one holiday a week
In the new rules, the daily working hours of the domestic help have been fixed at 10 hours and he will be entitled to 24 hours of rest with weekly payment. The new rules prevent employers from seizing the passport and personal documents or belongings of a domestic worker. These rules will be applicable for drivers, house cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, live-in nurses, tutors and nannies.
The new rules of the Saudi government will also affect Indian workers because a large number of workers from India go to Saudi Arabia. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, about 26 lakh Indians work in Saudi Arabia. Among them, there are also a large number of people who come under the category of domestic workers. Every year a large number of people go to Saudi Arabia on visas issued for domestic workers. The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources has also created a platform called Musned for employers to explain the rules related to visa.
