News
Jordan bans SL housemaids over levy of US$ 1,000 non-refundable deposit
Some 10,000 Sri Lankan female domestic workers will lose out on employment in Jordan, while the country stands to lose some Rs 1.5 billion in vital foreign exchange earnings, after recruiting agents in Jordan have banned the hiring of Sri Lankan housemaids over a fee issue, the industry said yesterday.
The official notice from R.A.A. informing about the new rule
The Recruiting Agents Association (RAA) of Jordan has issued the ban with effect from September 1, after Colombo wanted them to pay a non-refundable deposit of US$ 1,000 (LKR 133,000) at the Sri Lankan Mission in Amman for each applicant, Faizer Mackeen of the Association for Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) told the Sunday Times.
He added that, the RAA in Jordan had ceased recruiting Sri Lankan female domestics and may look elsewhere to fill the market. Consequently, the country will lose out in valuable foreign exchange earnings and employment.
He said that, this fee was a compulsory requirement from sponsors who recruit housemaids on an individual basis, in a private capacity, without going through an agent, as there is limited liability.“Now, with the latest regulation, the agents will be unfairly burdened with this additional fee, apart from the other costs that have to be met to recruit a domestic worker,” Mr Mackeen added.
“At present, there are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 local female workers in Jordan, the bulk of them being domestics, earning a monthly salary of Rs 31,000+,” he added. Officials of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) however, yesterday seemed the least bit concerned at the latest developments in Jordan regarding the recruitment of Sri Lankan housemaids.
SLFEB Chairman Amal Senadhilankara told the Sunday Times that Jordan was an average job market, unlike other West Asian countries, and this had led to terrible issues for a considerably long period of time, becoming a heavy burden to the Sri Lankan Mission in Amman.
The monthly income of many Jordanians is average, and hence, in many instances, they find it difficult to maintain domestics. This results in large numbers flocking to the embassy and safe houses, where the embassy is obliged to provide food and shelter at very high costs.
“Earlier, we were contemplating scrapping the Jordanian sector, owing to the simmering issues, and if it has been done from that end, then it is welcome. In the recent past, the Sri Lankan Embassy was handling between 200 to 250 runaway maids on a daily basis, most of them complaining of non-payment of wages,” Mr. Senadhilankara added.
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