Saudi Arabia bans domestic workers from the Philippines
06/30/2011 | 09:04 AM
Updated 2:50 p.m. — Starting July 2, Saudi Arabia will no longer issue work visas for domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia because of its labor rows with the two countries.
“The Ministry of Labor will stop issuing work visas for domestic workers for the Philippines and Indonesia from Saturday (July 2)," Hattab Bin Saleh Al-Anzi, a spokesman for the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor said, according to report on news site Arab News.
The decision of the Saudi government will affect 180,000 domestic workers in Saudi, or about 15 percent of more than 1.2 million Filipinos working there.
According to the report, Al-Anzi said the ministry decided to stop hiring domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia after the two countries imposed stricter conditions on prospective Saudi employers.
New contracts made by the Philippines require foreign employers of Filipino domestic helpers to pay a minimum wage of $400 a month.
The Philippine government has also urged employers to provide family information and the layout of the residence where the domestic helper will be working.
The Arab News said the Saudi government wanted the Philippine government to alter these requirements in the labor contracts of Filipino domestic workers.
On April 27, the Saudi Arabia sent a delegation to the Philippines to negotiate the labor dispute, but talks broke down, the report said.
The report said Philippine Embassy in Riyadh labor attaché Albert Valenciano expressed his sadness over the Saudi government’s decision on Wednesday.
Valenciano said the embassy had sent a “note verbale" (verbal message) to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 19 requesting for a meeting. It, however, had not received a response so far.
source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224839/pinoy-abroad/saudi-arabia-bans-domestic-workers-from-the-phl
“The Ministry of Labor will stop issuing work visas for domestic workers for the Philippines and Indonesia from Saturday (July 2)," Hattab Bin Saleh Al-Anzi, a spokesman for the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor said, according to report on news site Arab News.
The decision of the Saudi government will affect 180,000 domestic workers in Saudi, or about 15 percent of more than 1.2 million Filipinos working there.
According to the report, Al-Anzi said the ministry decided to stop hiring domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia after the two countries imposed stricter conditions on prospective Saudi employers.
New contracts made by the Philippines require foreign employers of Filipino domestic helpers to pay a minimum wage of $400 a month.
The Philippine government has also urged employers to provide family information and the layout of the residence where the domestic helper will be working.
The Arab News said the Saudi government wanted the Philippine government to alter these requirements in the labor contracts of Filipino domestic workers.
On April 27, the Saudi Arabia sent a delegation to the Philippines to negotiate the labor dispute, but talks broke down, the report said.
The report said Philippine Embassy in Riyadh labor attaché Albert Valenciano expressed his sadness over the Saudi government’s decision on Wednesday.
Valenciano said the embassy had sent a “note verbale" (verbal message) to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 19 requesting for a meeting. It, however, had not received a response so far.
source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224839/pinoy-abroad/saudi-arabia-bans-domestic-workers-from-the-phl
