Saudi Women Launch Drive to Bring Down Maids’ Wages

Image Caption: Saudi women have formed a group to stop the monopoly of housemaids who work illegally after running away from their sponsors.

By Mahmoud Ahmad
Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — A group of Saudi women has launched a campaign to bring down the exorbitantly high wages of domestic helpers.

The move follows a series of successful boycott campaigns launched by Saudis against traders and telecom companies for raising the prices of essential commodities and services.

Saudi women have formed a group to stop the monopoly of housemaids who work illegally after running away from their sponsors. Although the wages of housemaids have been standardized at SR2,000 a month, the campaigners feel that even SR2,000 is a high salary and it should be brought down to SR1,000, especially when Saudi families’ income has dwindled as a result of austerity measures.

They are asking Saudi families not to pay salaries higher than SR1,000 to their maids.

The government has cut ministers’ salaries by 20 percent and scaled back allowances for public sector employees.

The measures, disclosed in a Cabinet statement last month, constitute the first pay cuts for government employees, who make up about two-thirds of working Saudis.

The measures included cancellation of some bonuses and financial benefits.

(Source: SaudiGazette.com.sa)