No foreign jobs for women below 25

Walter JAYAWARDHANA

SAUDI ARABIA: Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the Government imposed a total ban on sending mothers of infants below five years as housemaids in foreign countries as it has resulted in discontented workers as well as social problems back home.

Bogollagama said in the future only women who are above 25 years would be granted permission for overseas deployment. He was addressing a press conference in the capital city Riyadh of oil rich Saudi Arabia where thousands of Sri Lankans are employed.

“This is not only because of their discontented life here but it also creates social problems back home,” he said.

He said homesickness has been identified as the main cause of labour problems of Sri Lankan housemaids working in Saudi Arabia. The minister added, “A housemaid who came here leaving a five-month-old baby ran away from her workplace because she desperately wanted to see her child.”

The minister said that the Sri Lankan Government has incentives like initiating programs to look after the families of housemaids, by providing scholarships for their children in Government schools, but infants still need to be with their mothers.

Speaking about the problems of runaway housemaids, Bogollagama said this is only a fraction of the housemaid population in the Kingdom.

“The problems are mainly due to misunderstandings between the employer and their employee, non-payment of wages and ignorance about the cultural environment in the host country,” he said.

While stressing on his Government’s stance to blacklist job agents in Colombo that send unskilled women as domestic aides, Bogollagama requested the Saudi National Recruiting Committee to check on local recruiting agents who are behind such scrupulous activities.

Bogollagama said a second Sri Lankan airline would start services to the Kingdom. “Besides SriLankan Airlines, the government is keen on introducing Mihin Air to the Kingdom to serve the Sri Lankan expatriates here,” the minister said, pointing out that the new airline, which began operations early this year, is a government-owned budget airline.

“We are negotiating to modify our bilateral aviation agreement with the Kingdom to accommodate this new airline,” he said.

Mihin Air, which is fully funded by the Treasury, will cater not only to migrant workers but also to the tourism industry as a low cost carrier.

“This will be a great boon to low-income migrant workers who would like to save money on their travel. It would also provide customers with an opportunity to travel at prices 50 per cent cheaper,” he said.

The minister described his talks with Saudi officials as successful and said his Government is interested in strengthening political, economic and cultural relations with the Kingdom.

Bogollagama said they had agreed to negotiate and finalise bilateral agreements on avoidance of double taxation, combating terrorism, extradition, prisoner exchange and investment protection.

Earlier at a meeting at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Minister said the country offers an attractive package to foreign investors.

“Sri Lanka, an investment hub in Asia, has attracted a large clientele of investors from all parts of the world since the country has abundant natural resources and cost-effective labour for viable projects,” he stressed.

He pointed out that the Free Trade Agreement with India would give free access to a larger market in the sub-continent to products manufactured in the island.