Draft Law for domestic workers under discussion: Check out the main points here
Domestic helpers that includes drivers, babysitters, cooks, gardeners, housemaids and their equivalents may be entitled for a weekly off and a fixed 10 working hours in a day. The proposed law is drafted and is under discussions with advisory council.
Mandatory Break: The law also includes a break for rest during the working hours but that time won’t be included in the fixed 10 working hours. The draft law also proposes a weekly off not less than 24 hours for the domestic helpers.
Al Sharq reported that on Monday, the Advisory Council discussed about the proposed law particularly the clauses identified with end of services, monthly payment terms and working hours.
Ceiling of 10 Years on Service: The services advisory group of the Council observed that the end of services ought not be over 10 years according to the HR law that puts a ceiling of 10 years as the maximum for expatriates. The end of service should not be under three weeks wage of the domestic helper every year. An individual from Advisory Council proposed the services board to decrease the end of service period from 10 years to 5 years to facilitate the employers.
Employer Worries: Members raised worries on months long yearly leave of domestic helpers and requested the services committee to make adjustments so that the interest of both the parties can be protected. The Advisory Council will discuss on this in the next session.
Monthly salary: The proposed law advices the employers to pay the monthly salary of domestic helpers toward the end of every month consistently with most extreme deferral to third day after the month end. The payments should not be viewed as substantial until it is credited in the bank account of the domestic helper or paid in cash after taking their signature as a proof that they received the salary. The proposed law additionally says that the employers should not deduct any amount from their salaries that was expensed on their recruitment.
3 Weeks Annual Paid Leave: Proposed draft law suggests that three weeks paid leave is the right of the domestic helpers and they can choose their vacation timings. After every two years, they will be eligible for return air ticket to their nation of origin unless they were going permanently, if so they will get just a single way ticket.
Domestic helpers can cancel the contract: Domestic helpers cannot be taken outside the country by the employer if they are not willing to go. Domestic helpers can even cancel the contract if they are forced by the employer, in that case domestic helpers becomes eligible for complete end of service and return ticket to their home country.
Role of Manpower Agencies: The proposed law enables manpower agencies to enlist domestic helpers on behalf of the employer subsequent to taking consent from the respective authorities yet restricted employing those under 18 years or over 60 years.
Penalty: A punishment of maximum QR5,000 can be imposed on manpower agencies for abusing the provisions of law and employers for taking their domestic helps outside the nation against their will and taking services over 10 hours according to the proposed law.
