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New insurance scheme in Saudi for SL’s female workers
A new insurance scheme aimed at protecting female domestic workers including Sri Lankans, is to be set up in Saudi Arabia at the earliest, but the authorities in Colombo said that the project is yet to be officially endorsed.
“The new insurance mechanism known as the International Social Security Protection (ISSP) is a consortium made up of lawyers, bank officials, immigration experts, labour advisors, legal advisors, etc., which will liaise with job recruiting agents and the relevant authorities from the sending countries,” said Faizer Mackeen with the Association of Licenced Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA).
“The task of the consortium will be mainly to monitor the welfare, security and other interests of the domestic worker, while at the same time, it will also closely monitor the employer/sponsor,” Mr. Mackeen said. “The cost of the insurance premium will have to be borne by the relevant sponsor,” he added.
He said that apart from protection, the consortium will also ensure that wages are paid promptly, the relevant workers receive medical assistance whenever necessary, and that, the domestic is not harassed by the employer. “A worker could reach the consortium ‘help line’ at any time on toll free numbers provided at the signing of the job agreement,” Mr. Mackeen said.
“The consortium will also receive the support and cooperation of the relevant Saudi authorities, towards implementing the project,” he added. “This project is something that was needed for some time, with all that has taken place in the recent past, including the execution of Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Rafiq.”
“The consortium, for its part, will come forward to provide legal assistance, and the fees, in the event of a court case and address wage and other issues that take place between the worker and the employer,” he said. However, a senior official with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLFEB) said that, although they were aware of the shaping up of such a consortium in Saudi Arabia, Colombo was yet to be officially notified.
D.D.P. Senanayake, Director-General Foreign Relations at the SLFEB, told the Sunday Times that the consortium was purely a domestic matter in that country, adding that, the sending country will have to be officially involved before the insurance scheme could be made mandatory. “As of now, the Saudis have not told us anything regarding this matter. Therefore, it is difficult to elaborate or even say, whether it would be beneficial or otherwise, to the Sri Lankan domestic worker.”
“We are aware that there have been extensive plans and discussions among the relevant authorities regarding this issue, but so far, we only have media reports on the matter from Saudi Arabia, that was picked up by our embassy in Riyadh and sent to Colombo,” Mr. Senanayake said.
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