By Sandeep Singh Grewal ,  GDN- Posted on » Sunday, March 11, 2012

MANAMA: Bahrain is stepping up safeguards for its domestic workers. The Labour Market Regulatory Authority is in the final stages of preparing a unified contract that will outline recruitment conditions for the workers, and their rights and duties.

“We want to safeguard the rights of domestic workers to ensure they are guaranteed decent work and living conditions,” its chief executive officer Ausamah Abdulla Al Absi told the GDN in an exclusive interview.

Domestic employees including maids, cleaners, nannies, cooks, butlers, drivers and gardeners are not covered by Bahrain’s labour law and face problems such as low wages, abuse and discrimination.

A draft of the contract will be released next month and posted on the agency’s website for feedback.

Both employers and manpower agencies will be bound by the new policy.

The new contract “will contain basic rights of workers according to international treaties that are not subject to a debate,” Mr Al Absi said.

“I do not believe abuse is a widespread phenomenon,” he said. “There are certain cases that fall outside the parameter of the law that need to be addressed.”