The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) has joined hands with the Saudi Arabian Airlines to run awareness videos on passengers’ screens that focus on rights and duties of domestic workers in nine languages.
The video which is displayed in Arabic, English, Bengali, Tagalog, Urdu, Indonesian, Malay, Indian and Amharic, gives general guidelines on the work contract. It should be in writing, both parties should have a copy of the contract and the same amount of wage should be paid as mentioned in the contract, said the ministry in reference to the content of the video.
Additionally, the passengers would have the opportunity to have further information including the employer’s commitment to pay for recruitment fees, residency permit (Iqama) and repatriation ticket.
The video shed light on the worker’s right to keep her or his passport as per Saudi regulations as s/he is not allowed to move to another employer without pursuing transfer of service first, which is in violation of the Labor Law.
It is noteworthy that the MLSD launched the Labor Education website in 2014 aiming to increase people’s awareness on labor regulations. It encourages all stakeholders to review articles of the Labor Law in both English and Arabic languages.
The website supports tripartite parties including government, employers and workers by containing a number of topics, such as duties and rights, work environment and labor knowledge. The workers can have a look into their general rights pertaining to labor contract, wages, work hours, training and qualification, end of service award, vacations and labor committees.