RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has finalized a draft labor pact with Indonesia to regulate hiring of domestic workers from the Southeast Asian country. Ahmed Al-Fahaid, Deputy Labor Minister for International Affairs, said the pact will be signed in the near future. He said the draft deal was the outcome of negotiations held with an Indonesian delegation that visited Riyadh last Wednesday and Thursday. The delegation was headed by Abdul Wahid Maktub, adviser to the Indonesian Ministry of Labor and Transmigration. Indonesians represent the largest segment of domestic help working in the Kingdom. Al-Fahaid said the draft agreement contains provisions such as formation of a joint committee to look into the problems arising from time to time between workers and their sponsors. The ministry is currently working on finalizing pacts with a number of manpower exporting countries, Al-Fahaid said, and added that details of which will be announced soon. “The Kingdom is striving to regulate the hiring of domestic workers by drawing up an organizational framework in a way protecting the rights of both the parties. The recent initiatives, such as the implementation of the bylaw for domestic workers and setting up of committees to settle labor disputes, had a positive role in achieving a major breakthrough in talks with these states,” he added. The ministry signed on Monday labor pact with Sri Lanka to hire domestic workers. The pact covers 12 categories of domestic workers including housemaids, drivers, cleaners, and waiters employed by individuals, Al-Fahaid said. It also offers a protection mechanism, including insurance for domestic workers. Recently, labor agreements were signed with India and the Philippines. At least 14 countries have expressed their willingness to send domestic workers to the Kingdom. Electronic mechanism to settle labor disputes Abdullah Al-Abdullatief, chairman of the Higher Commission to Settle Labor Disputes, disclosed that there will be an electronic mechanism linking the commission with the labor committees across the Kingdom to expedite settlement of labor disputes with close supervision of the commission. He also unveiled plans to launch a registry of labor dispute verdicts so as to enlighten the labor committees in carrying out their task of settling disputes.
