GOK ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF NEW MAID CONTRACTS

UNCLAS KUWAIT 003603

SIPDIS

FOR G/TIP, NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KCRM KU
SUBJECT: GOK ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF NEW MAID CONTRACTS

REF: A. KUWAIT 2588


B. KUWAIT 3532

C. KUWAIT 3158


1. The Ministry of Interior (MOI),the entity responsible for
domestic workers, officially announced the details of a new
contract between domestic servants, sponsoring employers and
recruitment agencies, scheduled to take effect October 1. All
Kuwaiti newspapers gave first page or other prominent
coverage to the new rules. Post had obtained an early copy of
the contract, originally reported July 17 in ref C, which
would stipulate that sponsoring employers should provide
expatriate servants in Kuwait, an estimated 450,000, the
following benefits:

-Appropriate accommodation, food, clothing and medical
treatment;
-On time salary payment at the end of the month;
-Three breaks per day in addition to sleep time;
-No salary deduction to recuperate recruitment costs;
-One month of paid leave per year;
-Repatriation of human remains in case of death and indemnity
of two months' salary to survivors.

Servants would need to present the signed contract to the
Kuwaiti embassy in their home countries for validation before
receiving a visa to travel.


2. The new contract, outlined by MOI Assistant Undersecretary
Major General Thabet Al-Muhanna in local dailies August 13 as
part of an on-going public awareness campaign, would provide
protections to sponsors as well. Agencies would be obligated
to refund recruitment costs should the maid's information in
the contract, such as skills and disabilities, be incorrect.
Sponsors would have six months to return the domestic
employee to the agency in case of misrepresentation after
consultation with the MOI's Domestic Helpers Department.
Al-Muhanna reported that the MOI has revoked the licenses of
163 agencies for violating regulations, bringing the total
down to 465 officially sanctioned recruitment offices.

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LEBARON