A WARNING went out yesterday for people to stop hiring runaways as housemaids and other domestic staff.It came as officials revealed that 322 domestic workers fled their sponsors last year, plus a further 42 so far this year.

Many people hire part-time housemaids and other domestic staff “on the cheap”, knowing that they are illegal residents, said Labour Ministry inspection and labour director Ahmed Al Haiki.

Runaways or so-called free visa workers walk the streets looking for work, but people who employ them are also breaking the law, he said.

It also exacerbates the runaway problem and people do not really know who they are hiring, said Mr Al Haiki.

He said people should only ever hire domestic staff through licensed manpower agencies.

The ministry received 322 complaints involving runaway domestic workers last year and 42 to date this year, said Mr Al Haiki.

He was speaking after a meeting of officials at the ministry to look at ways to combat the problem.

Manpower agencies inspectors Shareef Al Hamer and Noof Al Shawi attended.

So-called free visa workers are also giving shelter to runaway domestic staff by hiring them part-time, since they cannot legally sponsor full-time maids, said Mr Al Haiki.

“This phenomenon has worsened,” he said.

“These illegal workers are working full time or part time and in turn provide food and shelter for (runaway) domestic workers and ask them to work on hourly basis.

“They find domestic workers roaming in streets and neighbourhoods looking for work.”

Mr Al Haiki said this was a flagrant violation of the law. He said the ministry was trying to solve any cases it receives “one by one” and was hoping sponsors, manpower agencies and embassies would co-operate