Monday 25 / November / 2024
Muscat: From January 1, only employers in Oman with a monthly salary of OMR1,000 and above will be allowed to hire a female domestic worker from Bangladesh, according to new regulations from the Bangladesh government.
The new rules mean that the minimum salary requirement has been doubled.
According to the new guidelines, uploaded on the official website of the Bangladesh embassy in Oman, the minimum monthly salary of any female domestic worker should be at least OMR90, her travel costs must be paid by the employer as well as insurance coverage.
The guidelines also state that women aged between 25 and 45 years and the contract between the employer and female worker has to be attested by the Bangladesh embassy in Oman.
“These new guidelines will ensure safe migration of female domestic workers to Oman,” Marina Sultana, a migrants rights activist in Dhaka, said.
“We were aware that such a policy was discussed in 2015. We were hopeful of its implementation,” Marina added.
Statistics from Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) reveals that this year up to November, there were 11, 875 female workers in Oman.
In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Oman stands second after Saudi Arabia in the number of Bangladeshi female workers.
Saudi Arabia hosts 62,916 Bangladeshi female workers. Times of Oman first reported in May this year that Bangladesh is forming a new policy for hiring female domestic workers in Oman.
The guidelines also state that female domestic worker must obtain a certificate on basic training organised by the BMET before migrating.
“Before obtaining final departure clearance form BMET, the legal guardian should also have to furnish a no-objection certificate about the worker flying to work in Oman,” the guidelines say.
It also adds that in case of non-adherence to the agreement the employer will repatriate the female domestic worker at their own cost and also pay necessary dues and compensation including food, accommodation charges and air ticket.
