Shura Council lays out measures to control departure of domestic workers

‘Individuals employing runaway maids should be held responsible for their deportation’

Published: 25 June 2024

QNA/NT Bureau
Doha

The Shura Council has suggested measures that would compel domestic workers to submit leave application or final departure through the ‘Metrash’ application to the employer within a minimum of five working days to obtain the necessary approval for their request, as they are not permitted to leave without obtaining prior approval, and domestic workers are entitled to appeal to the relevant authorities in case the mentioned request is not approved.

The proposal, submitted to the government, included a call for the necessity of coordination among the competent authorities regarding the registration of escape cases for domestic workers during the validity of their employment contract, whereby transferring their sponsorship to other employers is prohibited.

The Council also decided to submit a motion of desire to the government, underscoring the necessity of amending domestic worker contracts to ensure their responsibility in case of escape and payment of their travel expenses, without obligating the employer to pay those expenses after reporting the escape, because the worker’s escape constitutes a clear violation of the contractual relationship between the two sides.

The proposal stipulated that those workers, upon being apprehended or surrendering themselves to the authorities, must bear the cost of their return ticket. Alternatively, the individual or company that harbored and employed them illegally would be responsible for their deportation expenses instead of the original employers.

Also, the motion of desire called for the establishment of an insurance system to address the financial implications of domestic workers’ escape cases.

Additionally, the motion of desire emphasized the importance of increasing penalties against runaway domestic workers and those who provide them shelter and alternative job opportunities, whether individuals or companies.

It called for tightening supervision over places that could offer employment to this category, whether in private jobs, hourly work, live-in arrangements, hotels, or restaurants.

The Shura Council held its regular weekly meeting at Tamim bin Hamad Hall on Monday, under the chairpersonship of Speaker of the Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, where the issue of domestic workers was discussed.