KUWAIT CITY, Aug 27: Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO) Chairman Khaled Al-Dakhnan said the KD750 fee for recruiting domestic workers from the Republic of the Philippines — including the ticket — does not match the cost price in the source country. In a statement to the newspaper, Al-Dakhnan pointed out that increasing the fee for recruiting domestic workers from the Philippines to KD850 — excluding the ticket — will enable the recruitment offices to provide domestic workers with the lowest profit margin and at a reasonable price.

He stressed that the current decision regarding the recruitment fee does not meet the requirements of recruitment offices. In a related development, newly appointed Minister of Commerce and Industry Khalifa Abdullah Dhahi Ajeel Al-Askar called for intervention to amend the decision. He said the actual cost, including the ticket, ranges from $2,400 to $2,500 — equivalent to about KD733 to KD764; in addition to the embassy fee estimated at KD3.250, airport fee of KD5 and handling fee of KD10.

He added the total recruitment cost ranges from KD751 to KD782; hence, the recruitment offices will not be able to hire workers if the current decision remains in effect, especially in light of the increase in operational costs for the offices, and the expected losses in the event the worker is returned during the probationary period, when a return ticket is booked and the full amount is refunded to the client.

By Fares Al-Abdan
 Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff