Domestic workers facing wage delay for 3 months can transfer their services, MLSD says
Publication date: 21 September 2022 - 25 Safar 1444
The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD) said the domestic workers can transfer their services to another employer in case that their former employer continuously or non-continuously delays their salaries for three months.
According to the ministerial decision issued by Minister of Labor and Social Development Ali bin Nasser Al-Ghafis, the domestic workers and their dependents are allowed to find another job under 13 circumstances.
The move is believed to improve dispensation of service and its quickness that may impact on the attractiveness of the domestic job market.
MLSD spokesman Khaled Abalkhail said these cases also include employers’ failure to receive the domestic workers at a port or shelter house within 15 days of their arrival in the Kingdom, in addition to delaying issuance or renewal of residency permit for over 30 days or trading their services to another employer without their knowledge.
They can transfer their services if their employer gives them jobs that belong to his/her nonrelative or second-degree relative, as well as harming their health and safety, Abalkhail added further.
Additionally, these cases include mistreatment of the domestic worker or causing procrastination of lawsuit filed by the worker. However, the workers lose the right to transfer their service if they are responsible of such delay.
Moreover, the employer falsely reports running away of the domestic worker to the authority and fails twice to appear at court in order to give statement over the complaint filed by the worker. It will be based on the recommendation of the specialized authority to avoid any potential harm that may affect the worker during the lawsuit.
Other situations include absence of the employer either because of his travel, imprisonment, death or any other reasons resulting in the failure of handing out paychecks for three months in a row.
The MLSD said the minister of labor and social development can decide on further circumstances based on individual or general cases in order to facilitate mobility of the domestic labor.
With obtaining a work permit via the hiring portal ‘Ajeer’, the directive allows the new employer to put the domestic worker on 15-day probationary period before proceeding the transfer of service. During the period, the employer will have to pay his/her salary.