Kuwait set to get tough on foreign worker abuse

NEW BILL: Foreign workers in Kuwait would get more protection under a new bill being debated by parliament next week.

Kuwait's parliament is set to vote on a bill that lays down tough penalties for employers who abuse the rights of foreign workers.

The move follows protests last year by hundreds of mainly Bangladeshi workers who demanded better pay and living conditions and said they could not live on their salaries after employers deducted housing, meal and health care costs.

Deputies are due to vote on a draft next week that will limit work hours for foreign workers while requiring employers to provide healthcare or face fines or jail terms, Kuwait Times reported on Wednesday.

But it will not replace a sponsorship system under which foreign workers, who comprise two-thirds of the OPEC country's population of 3.2 million, must be sponsored by Kuwaitis.

Ali Al-Baghli, head of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights, told the paper: "Unfortunately, the draft overlooks important issues like the sponsorship system and minimum wage for domestic helpers."

Women from Asian countries including Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines work as maids and nannies across the Gulf, and many complain of rights abuses, the paper reported.

Following violent strikes by Asians, Kuwait last year set a minimum wage of 40 dinars ($138) for cleaners and 70 dinars for civilian security staff.

In June 2008, a US State Department report on forced labour and the sex trade placed Kuwait in the "worst offender" category, alongside fellow Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Kuwait Human Rights Laws Dismal
Posted by Maya, Dubai, UAE on Friday 6 February 2009 at 19:05 UAE time


Kuwait's human rights laws are dismal, pretty much down there with the Saudi laws. They regard non-executive workers as their slaves. It is disheartening to see that people still continue to go to look for work there, given the conditions they are made to endure.

New Labour Law in Kuwait
Posted by Sajanq8, Kuwait, Kuwait on Wednesday 4 February 2009 at 13:30 UAE time


It is very heartening to see all the articles being written about the proposed new law and a lot of us are indeed very happy to see this happening. But the big question still remains! The law may be passed, but how or who will monitor its implementation? Yes, the employees could, if their employers fail to follow the law, approach the Ministry and complain, but at what cost? I am sure that any such complaints would be dealt with harshly by the employers, peanalising the employee who has made the complaint and it would not be a surprise if that particular employee finds himself terminated or peanalised one way or the other! If I have to make a complaint, I should be doing it so at the cost of loosing my job and all others who complain would be doing it their own risk.

A fairly good number of companies would implement the law to the letter, but a number of companies would still continue in their own ways..those are the same companies who are depriving the employees of their basic right right now.

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