The Ministry of Labor has banned all domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia, but there is no reason why this impasse cannot be solved at the negotiating table. A win-win situation is still possible. On the one hand the Kingdom argues that costs, now at SR10,000 for each domestic worker from Indonesia, is making it unaffordable for many families to hire such help. It is also argued here that certain stricter working conditions called for by both Indonesia and the Philippines are unreasonable, including sponsors providing proof of earnings, number of people in households and pictures of family members. However, these points of view must be balanced with the very real requirement of these countries to protect millions of their most vulnerable workers from exploitation and abuse. We must also recall that just last week the International Labor Organization (ILO) passed a landmark set of international standards to protect millions of the world's domestic workers. These are largely young girls and women who often face financial and physical abuse as migrants in countries across the world. According to the ILO agreement, domestic workers who care for families and households, “must have the same basic labor rights as those available to other workers: reasonable hours of work, weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, a limit on in-kind payment, clear information on terms and conditions of employment, as well as respect for fundamental principles and rights at work including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining”. Recent ILO estimates based on national surveys and censuses of 117 countries, place the number of domestic workers at around 53 million. However, experts say this kind of work is “often hidden and unregistered”, the total number of domestic workers could be as high as 100 million. In developing countries, they make up at least four to 12 percent of wage employment. Around 83 percent of these workers are women or girls and many are migrant workers. The agreement has been signed and ratified by Saudi Arabia. A good starting point for the parties is to get together at the negotiating table and work out new terms and conditions, taking account of the ILO agreement which calls for basic rights such as freedom of association, maternity benefits, social security and collective bargaining. __
