By Mohammed Osman
By Mohammed Osman
DOHA: As the new law regulating entry, exit and residency of foreign workers in the country comes into force from December this year and which makes it mandatory for all incoming workers to have a job contract before arrival, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs is streamlining the recruitment of domestic workers.
All households that want to employ domestic help must, therefore, sign in advance a contract with the recruitment agency which has undertaken to provide the worker.
The contract should not only be signed by the two parties but must also be approved by the department concerned at the Labour Ministry.
The employer has the right to return a domestic help if one of the parties fails to fulfil terms of the contract, said the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA).
The Ministry has posted an advisory on its Facebook account for prospective employers of domestic workers and said their recruitment must be based on a contract signed with the manpower agency concerned.
The guidelines have been issued as part of an awareness campaign for the prospective employers of household workers as the countdown to the implementation of the new law has begun.
As is known, the new legislation replaces the sponsorship system and makes the employment of foreign workers entirely contract-based.
While recruiting workers from abroad, the following points need to be taken into account, said the Ministry: The employer has the right to file a complaint at the Ministry against the recruiting agency if it fails to meet any of the terms of the contract, which must be written, signed by both parties and approved by the competent authority at the Ministry (MADLSA).
The contract must include a fixed term and guarantee (probation) period, which is three months and that comes into effect from the date of when a worker joins his or her employer.
The Ministry has advised prospective employers to get medical check-up done for the newcomers within two weeks from the date of their arrival in the country, to make sure that they are free of any diseases.
The Ministry said domestic workers can be returned home within the guarantee period of three months if any of the terms of the employment contract is violated or the worker is found medically unfit, or he or she refused to carry out the duties he or she came to perform or the competent authority declined to process his/her residency permit (RP).
Prospective employers are also advised to read the contract carefully and must have a copy of that as well as the copies of bills for any in advance payment made.
In case of delay in providing the domestic worker within the period indicated in the contract, the employer has the right to demand compensation, said the Ministry in its post.
A prospective employer needs to receive the worker’s CV (curriculum vitae) to make a choice and take the right decision regarding selection. If the worker refuses to perform the job he or she came for then the employer has to get an endorsement signed by the worker with date of signature.
When the Ministry has approved a contract it comes into effect immediately so the required documents can be submitted to be processed to get an entry visa issued.
The Peninsula
