India fixes minimum wage for maids

{image-HUMAN RIGHTS01_21022008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Dubai, Feb 21: A minimum wage of 1,100 Dirham has been fixed by the Indian government for housemaids recruited to the UAE.The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Feb20 announced that individuals recruiting them should be earning a monthly salary of at least 10,000 dirham.

The earlier minimum wage level recommended by the Indian government was 600-650 Dirham. All individuals recruiting housemaids from India must furnish a bank guarantee of 2,500 dollars, and the full amount would be reimbursed at the time of contract termination by mutual consent, the Gulf Today reported.

India has long since banned recruitment of women below 30 years of age as housemaids. All Indian housemaids recruited henceforth must also be provided with an active mobile phone on their arrival in the UAE.

The new security and verification measures are expected to safeguard the welfare of the recruits, who often face abuses at the hands of their employers with several cases of unpaid wages reported every year.

India was among the first labour-origin countries to tighten recruitment of its nationals in the housemaid category.

UNI