'KD 150 170 fee for recruiting Sri Lankan domestic workers'

(MENAFN- Arab Times) KUWAIT CITY April 28: The Consular Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently received a letter from the Kuwaiti Embassy in Sri Lanka regarding the fees for recruiting domestic workers from this country MP Kamel Al-Awadi said Tuesday. Al-Awadhi disclosed that the fee for recruiting household workers from Sri Lanka like housemaids cooks and babysitters ranges from KD 150 to KD 160; while that for hiring a driver ranges from KD 160 to KD 170. He said these fees will cover costs for no criminal record certificate medical tests driving license revenue stamps one-way ticket and training courses for new workers among others.

He added the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kuwait will charge employment contract fee of $400 (KD 120) for direct recruitment. He went on to say that he had earlier visited domestic worker recruitment offices in various governorates during which he found out these offices charge exorbitant fees for hiring Sri Lankan housemaids. He revealed the offices based in Hawally charge KD 1000 for hiring older housemaids; KD 1250 for non-Arabic speakers and KD 1300 for Arabic speakers and those who previously worked in Kuwait and other GCC states. In Farwaniya Governorate the fees range from KD 1150 to KD 1200 and KD 1100 in Jahra; hence the average fee is about KD 1160 he added.

Al-Awadhi is one of the MPs who proposed the establishment of a stock company for the recruitment and employment of domestic workers in order to get rid of the existing offices which take huge money from Kuwaitis who need household workers. He argued that once the company is established the problems of domestic workers and their sponsors will be solved.

By: Abubakar A. Ibrahim and Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff