Sarwat Nasir | July 24, 2017
Khaleej Times
Khaleej Times spoke to two maids who said their previous employers did not give them any days off or their gratuity.
Housemaids are desperately waiting for the new domestic workers law to be implemented, as many claim they are overworked by their employers.
Khaleej Times spoke to two maids who said their previous employers did not give them any days off or their gratuity.
The UAE Federal National Council (FNC) has approved the draft law; however, it is yet to come into effect. The law, which aims to protect the rights of domestic workers, states that they have the right to a weekly rest day and be compensated adequately if he or she has to work on an off day. The worker is also entitled to an annual leave of 30 days every year.
The workers have the right to keep their official documents such as passports, and the recruitment offices should bear the expenses of returning the worker to his or her country.
One housemaid, Josefina Lopez de Guzman, said that her previous employer did not give her a single holiday.
A single mother of three young children, Guzman said: “The employers treat us like animals. I recently resigned from an agency that made me work so many hours. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I resigned. I’m looking for a new employer and waiting for this new law, so that I can negotiate for a better contract.