Saudis advised against hiring maids locally

Saudis advised against hiring maids locally

A large number of recruitment offices are operating illegally in the Kingdom, giving shelter to runaway maids and then hiring them to Saudi employers.

May 17, 2010 11:15 by Rasha Reslan

Saudis who want to hire maids locally are being warned to be wary of unlicensed and unscrupulous recruitment offices in the Kingdom.

The National Recruitment Committee, under the Council of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said a large number of recruitment offices have begun the illegal practice of giving shelter to maids, mainly those who runaway, and then hiring them on to Saudis.

These offices also act as middlemen between the maids’ sponsors and people looking to hire maids locally, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported on Sunday.

Munief Al-Dhahmishi, deputy chairman of the National Recruitment Committee, urged citizens to ignore attractive advertisements that appear in some local newspapers.

“Advertisements, with titles such as ‘Maid for Iqama Transfer’ and ‘Trained Maids Available’ have begun appearing in some local newspapers. These offices never give their addresses to avoid getting in trouble,” said Al-Dhahmishi.

These offices are involved in transferring the iqamas of these maids, something that is in violation of the Kingdom’s regulations, he said, adding that the maids also include runaway maids.

He added that many Saudis are turning to these offices to hire maids locally, which is cheaper than hiring them from abroad.

“Some of these offices have shut down after collecting huge amounts of money from Saudis who wanted to hire housemaids locally. These offices were also keen not to shoulder any responsibilities after completing the hiring process,” said Al-Dhahmishi.

He added that the offices are not licensed to supply maids to people or transfer iqamas. “Their functioning is restricted to the follow up work of a Muaqib (an expediter of paperwork at government offices),” he said.

He also urged citizens to use the services of licensed recruitment offices which are listed on the National Recruitment Committee’s website.

“This would prevent them from falling victims of the fraudulent practices that are being employed by some unlicensed recruitment offices,” he added.

–Arabnews