India tightens rules to protect housemaids in GCC

The Indian government has tightened service contract regulations to protect Indian housemaids, taking up employment in the GCC, from abuses. "The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has decided to introduce changes to the service agreements of housemaids being brought from India to Oman with effect from June 20, 2011," according to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy Tuesday. Under the new regulations it has been made mandatory for prospective employers to submit salary certificate of minimum monthly wages of 1,000 Omani riyals. "Irrespective of employers' nationality those below 1,000 riyals monthly salary will not be able to hire Indian housemaids," a spokesperson for the Indian Embassy told Gulf News. He, however, added that the combined salary of husband and wife would be considered for the minimum 1,000 riyals wage. Article continues below The embassy official further said that the employers will be required to provide a bank guarantee of 1,100 riyals while recruiting a housemaid. "Every employer, including Indian nationals residing in Oman, will have to furnish bank guarantee if they wish to recruit an Indian housemaid," he stressed. He added that the security guarantee will be used for the repatriation of the housemaid only in case her employer fails to honour the service agreement. "In the normal course, the amount is reimbursable to the employer." He pointed out that in case a sponsor agrees to release the housemaid to another sponsor, a new agreement will have to be signed by the new sponsor. At the same time existing employers will not be made to register and pay bank guarantee. To ensure that the housemaids are not over burdened, the Indian government has also included a clause whereas a family with more than six members will have to recruit more than one housemaid. The government has also imposed age restriction of between 30 and 50 for Indian housemaids. Another clause has been added to ensure employers don't play around with housemaid's return journey for sake of cheaper fares. "The employer will have to book a direct flight to India while repatriating a housemaid," he said. Last October and Indian housemaid died in transit when her employer repatriated her to India via Doha. She lost her passport in transit at Doha and was sent back to Muscat. She died while in transit at the Muscat airport before arrangements could be made to send her back to India. The new regulations by will ensure that housemaids, many of them illiterate, are sent straight to their own country. There are several cases, not only in Oman but other parts of the region, where housemaids are underpaid but the Indian government has now made sure that they are paid their salaries regularly and correct amount. According to new regulations to recruit an Indian housemaid, employers are required to pay salaries through the banking channels. Where banking channels are not available, a bilingual salary slip signed by both the sponsor and the housemaid will be necessary. Similar changes have also been introduced in other parts of the region. The embassy has already intimated Oman's Ministry of Manpower about the changes in housemaid service contract. The issue was also discussed between representatives of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the Omani Ministry of Manpower during a Joint Working Group meeting under the MOU on Manpower between the two countries last month.