‘Kuwait witnessing a black market of domestic workers’ – KD 80 to KD 100
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Clients find prices irresistible
KUWAIT CITY, May 1: Amid the ongoing issue of domestic workers in Kuwait, especially the recent escalation of crisis that led to a ban on the recruitment of workers from the Philippines, the country is now witness to a black market of domestic workers schemed by some people who are keen on exploiting the issue for personal gain and profits in a crooked manner.
In what seems like the domestic workers recruitment offices have folded arms over the crisis bedeviling the country without proffering any solution, representatives of the foreign offices where domestic workers are recruited from have been grabbing the opportunity to offer competitive prices in a typical scenario of black markets.
The representatives now position themselves at the lobbies of domestic workers recruitment offices to snatch clients before they even enter any office by offering reasonable prices. Most of the clients find the prices irresistible to the point that they quickly jump at the offer.
The situation is so bad that some representatives collect the contacts of clients for home delivery of workers. During an investigative trip to one of the shopping complexes housing such offices, the daily encountered a representative of one recruitment company in Bombay who was moving around the place in search of clients.
He affirmed readiness to provide an Indian worker for KD 672 and KD 80 salary as a first timer in Kuwait, and charges KD 100 for an experienced housemaid.
Marketing Manager at Jamal Exports Office Mubarak Hussein declared that his office in India was also ready to provide new Indian domestic workers for KD 672 with monthly salary of KD 80-KD 100.
He said the sponsor will issue visa while the office handles the remaining aspects, noting the worker will arrive in Kuwait within one month.
The government offices have been apportioned blame for the crisis due to stringent conditions set against workers from the beginning, which led to situation whereby some of them absconded and many others committed suicide.
Several citizens indicated they were not concerned with the causes and solutions but availability of workers at the earliest possible time at affordable prices. They are worried that Ramadan is fast approaching without any solution at sight but the problem is more complicated since the offices cannot provide workers from other nationalities other than India, and possibly, Ivory Coast later on.
Many of them complain that Indian workers are not good at cleaning, cooking and washing, so they only handle the furniture and children for 12 hours per day.
Yet, they will be paid KD 100 monthly, and the cost of recruiting them is KD 990. They pointed out that workers from Ivory Coast will cost them KD 850 and monthly salary of KD 80
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