SAUDI GAZETTE JEDDAH — Recruitment companies and manpower suppliers are obliged to refund recruitment fees or provide an alternative domestic worker in case of breach of contract. Offices of recruitment companies or manpower suppliers will be sealed if workers do not show up at work place or refuse to work or if the ministry receives a number of complaints against a particular office. Khaled Abalkhail, spokesman of the ministry, said the ministry has allowed recruitment offices to offer the services of domestic workers with the possibility to transfer their sponsorship to citizens or residents after the end of probation period. Recruitment companies are also allowed to offer the services of domestic works based on hourly work agreement with families. Abalkhail said the ministry has approved these services to meet the demand of citizens and reduce expenses on recruitment from abroad. He said that the Ministry of Labor and Social Development is coordinating with the general security to monitor the market and stop people from recruiting runaway domestic workers illegally. All media outlets — especially social media sites — where ads offering the services of illegal housemaids appear are being monitored, he said. Such violations amount to human trafficking and the perpetrators will get up to a 15-year jail term or SR1 million fine or both. Nawaf Al-Faqm, a member of the Shoura Council, called on the ministry to monitor the black market and recruitment expenses of domestic workers, especially now as Ramadan approaches. The domestic workers' rate in the black market during Ramadan go up to SR4,000. The low supply and high demand of domestic workers before the onset of the fasting month have increased the number of advertisements offering their services. Many advertisements offer transferring the sponsorship of domestic workers of various nationalities for amounts that range from SR35,000 to SR18,000.
