“THE Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has decided to close the files of companies which have failed to pay the salaries of their employees, reports Al-Shahed daily. The daily added the employees went on strike several times because they were not paid their salaries for eight consecutive months. The daily also said the ministry will now use KD 850,000 guarantee money to pay the salaries of 12,000 workers which the companies have deposited with the ministry (Jan 6, 2010).

We appreciate the efforts of the Ministry of Social Affairs’ officials for reimbursing expatriate employees’ salaries from their company’s guarantee money. Without such swift action, employee abuse and exploitation will continue unchecked. In fact, we suggest here that the ministry applies the same rules - reimbursing salaries - for expatriate on domestic laborers, like maids, drivers...etc who work in private homes.

The ministry can reimburse maids for example through requiring sponsors to pay in advance gurantee money either to the immigration department or by facilitating this process through domestic workers private bureaus. In addition, closer monitoring of domestic service bureaus to guarantee decent treatment of domestic workers they handle is also a step in the right direction.
We argued in earlier articles that we already have clear and effective laws, which guarantee the dignity and good treatment of low-paid expatriate workers. What we seem to lack these days is more reinforcement of these laws and regulations. For example, if some companies and some private sponsors become more conscious of how the Ministry of Social Affairs will handle employees’ abuses, such sponsors will think twice before stopping to pay people’s salaries!

In addition, the ministry should tighten regulations governing the relationship between low-paid expatriate workers and their employers through establishing a new investigative branch in work departments. Officials working in such especially designated bureaus can take full responsibility of following up breaches of contracts and be able to deal with such issues without having to go through slow bureaucratic procedures. Often, solving salary issues help reduce the number of strikes we read about occasionally in our local media. After all, quickly and swiftly setting right the violations in the relationship between employers and their employees in the private sector will enhance Kuwait’s image in the global economy. Clear, just, and effective labor laws and the deployment of efficient governmental frameworks to deal with violations of laborer’s rights is a plus in current day global market. In fact, continuing to improve the working conditions of our expatriate friends and partners will bring us closer to transforming Kuwait into a competitive commercial and financial hub in the region. - Arab Times