Saudi backs RP efforts to increase wages of maids

By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: March 05, 2008

MANILA, Philippines -- A recruitment regulatory body in Saudi Arabia supports the Philippine government’s efforts to improve the plight of Filipino household workers, including the plan to raise their monthly wages from US$200 to US$400, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said Wednesday.

In a press statement, Brion said the Saudi National Recruitment Committee (Sanarcom) now supports the package of reforms being pushed by the Department of Labor and Employment.

Brion said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the Saudi capital Riyadh successfully promoted the new policy for domestics despite opposition by employers and employment agencies in the kingdom.

POLO-Riyadh received the statement of support from Sanarcom Chairman Saad N. Al Baddah. The committee is an affiliate of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Brion said Sanarcom’s support also shows that many Saudis still prefer Filipino skills and are willing to hire Filipino maids despite the availability of domestic workers from other countries.

Citing the report of Riyadh-based Labor Attache Rustico dela Fuente, Brion said Sanarcom was originally one of the organized manpower agencies in the Gulf region that opposed the reform package.

He said Sanarcom eventually gave its nod to the policy when Dela Fuente issued to Saad's recruitment agency the certificate of prequalification indicating the latter's consent to participate in implementing the new policy.

In December 2006, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) came out a package of welfare and protection reforms for household workers seeking a minimum salary of $400 monthly.

Applicants, however, were required to undergo periodic assessment.

The new POEA policy governing the deployment of household helpers was strongly opposed due to fears that it may push employers overseas to hire maids from other countries who were willing to work for lower wages.