There are circumstances, 13 to be exact, when a domestic helper’s service can be transferred from one employer to another. This has been approved by Minister of Labor and Social Development Ali Al-Ghafis.
The new measure is intended to regulate the employment market and create opportunities for household workers, drivers and maid servants, along with their dependents to find jobs in the event of certain situations beyond their control, Saudi Press Agency reported quoting ministry sources.
1. Delay on the part of employer to pay wages for up to three months
2. Failure to receive domestic helper help upon their arrival in the Kingdom
3. Failure to to take them from shelters within 15 days after their arrival in the Kingdom
4. Delay of more than 30 days in the issuance or renewal of residency permit (iqama)
5. Renting out the service of the domestic worker to another employer without the knowledge of the worker
6. Assigning the domestic help to work with those other than their close relatives
7. Assigning the worker to do jobs that pose danger to his/her health or safety
8. Maltreatment by employer or family members
9. False complaint of a runaway helper
10. Failure to attend two sittings to examine the complaint filed by the worker
11. Disappearance of the employer because of his travel
12. Disappearance of the employer because of his imprisonment or death
13. Disappearance of the employer because of any other reasons resulting in the failure of salary disbursement for three months in a row.
The new employer, Al-Ghafis said, is also instructed to hire a worker on paid probation not more than 15 days before the start of hiring process.
The new employer has to pay the fee for transfer of services in addition to the expense for hosting the worker at the shelter home, amounting to SAD 150 for each day, the ministry said.
