(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Mohammed Osman / The Peninsula
Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a law yesterday making it mandatory to hire domestic workers with written contract certified by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA).
Domestic workers including housemaids, drivers, nannies, cooks, gardeners and their equivalents will come under the law.
The Law No. 15 of 2017 on domestic workers which includes 24 articles and will be published in the Official Gazette, has banned recruitment of under age (below 18 years) or above 60 years as domestic helps.
The law outlined that domestic helps are entitled for three week paid annual leave and they have right to choose the vacation timing. After each two years, they will deserve for return air ticket benefit to their home country unless they were going for good so they will get only one side ticket.
The law has also stipulated that employers must pay the monthly wages of domestic helps at the end of every month with maximum delay to third day of next month.
The payment will only be considered valid when employers transfer wage in the bank account of the domestic help or make them sign give him in cash after taking their signature as prove that they received the salary. The law also asked the employers not to make any deduction from their salaries they spend on their recruitment or for anything else.
The law indicated that the end of service should not be less than three weeks wage of domestic help per year.
Employers are responsible for accommodation, food, health care, not to exposure his their health or safety to danger and treat them with dignity.
The law asked employers not make their helpers work more than 10 hours unless it is mentioned on the job contract. If the help died, the employer is responsible of returning the body to the worker's home country on his expenses said the law.
The employers also are not allowed to take the domestic help outside the country for work without consent and if happened the domestic helps have the right to cancel their work contract. In this case, employers will ensure complete end of service and air ticket to go back to their country.
According to the law domestic helps were granted weekly off that should not be less than 24 hours in a row and weekly off day will be specified as per the contract, said the draft law. The law prevent employers from dismissing helps without prior warning or giving them the due end of service. Disputes between the two parties are going to be settled in accordance to the labour law, as well any other compensations for injuries during work.
Employers have the rights to cancel the work contract if the domestic helps violated any of the contract's provision said the law. As the law made it clear that anyone who violated the provisions of this law will be punished with fine ranging between QR5000 to QR10,000.
Earlier when the law referred to the Advisory Council, the members discussed the draft law and their discussions were focused on clauses related to end of service, monthly wages and duty hours.
The law allows manpower agencies to recruit domestic helps on the behalf of employers after taking permission from the authorities concerned as well employers can recruit by themselves upon approval from the same authority.
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