JEDDAH: Some Saudi citizens have raised objections to new criteria announced by the Indonesian government for the employment of their citizens as domestic workers and drivers in this country. The new conditions announced by the Indonesian government this week, effective March 1, require details of the house and family members of the sponsor, including photographs and copies of identity cards for every member of the household and a certificate from the police confirming that the sponsor does not have a criminal record. It also requires proof of earnings and employment. Saudis say they would rather not employ Indonesians than be forced to supply what they view as private information. Ali Al-Tawati, a political analyst based in Jeddah, said that this information cannot be provided by the government for the issuing of such visas. Al-Tawati said both governments should have a unified contract that guarantees the rights of both workers and employers without violating the privacy of families. “The unified contract can include the working hours, the day off as well as the maximum number of family members that need to be served,” he added. Suhaila Zain Al-Abideen, from the National Human Rights Association, said that “providing such sensitive information is against human rights” when there were only a “few physical or psychological abuse cases against house workers”. She added that there are also violations taking place against sponsors by domestic workers. She said that workers should also be checked to see whether they have criminal records, to provide protection for Saudi families. She said the ministries of labor and foreign affairs must set tough rules to ensure families are protected. From their side, the Indonesian government is insisting on the new conditions. “Our rules are to protect our nation and to make sure that our workers are treated humanely,” said Didi Wahyudi, Consul, at the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah. He said the new conditions are based on a large number of complaints received from domestic workers on a daily basis. “We receive around 2,000 complaints from domestic workers around the Kingdom every day,” said Wahyudi. Wahyudi added that the Indonesian government wants to get full details of the kind of work that is assigned to their domestic workers. “It should be clear that only certain kinds of jobs should be assigned to the domestic worker. No extra work must be done,” he added. – Saudi Gazette/Naif Masrahi has contributed to this article __
