Ethiopian authorities have suspended the operations of five Saudi foreign recruitment agencies, criticizing what they claim is exploitation of domestic servants by these companies in Saudi Arabia. Hussein Al-Muttairi, member of the Foreign Recruitment Committee at the Asharqia (Eastern Province) Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has downplayed the decision attributing it to the delay in the payment of salaries to some workers, others being deported without receiving all remuneration and other problems. Al-Muttairi said the Ethiopian authorities have temporarily suspended the work of these recruitment agencies. These agencies have approached Saudi authorities for redressal of their grievances, he said. Al-Muttairi said that the matter is now being resolved, saying it was provoked because of the increased demand for Ethiopian domestic workers due to a ban on the recruitment of Indonesian and Filipino workers. “The pressure was reduced after Ramadan. Currently Dammam airport receives three flights from Addis Ababa weekly with 150 to 200 passengers on board, most of them domestic workers,” he said. Al-Muttairi said the demand is still huge, with 20 applications processed every week, with an elevated time ceiling for the workers' arrival. He blamed much of the problems on the domestic labor market in Ethiopia which lacks qualified training institutions. However, he said, within the next few months, training centers will be opened in Ethiopia by Saudi
