Lankan maids in Dubai to get a pay hike from January

Sri Lankan housemaids in the UAE will have to be paid a minimum salary of Dh825 per month from January 1, 2008.

Officials from the Sri Lankan Consulate in Dubai yesterday told Khaleej Times that the Sri Lankan missions have notified recruiting agents of the revised minimum wages.

The Sri Lankan Government has revised the minimum wages of housemaids in the entire Gulf. While Dh825 has been set for the UAE, the wages in other countries in the Middle East have been set according to their respective per capita income.

Sri Lankan Consul-General Wasantha Senanayake said: "We have sent a circular to all the agents this week stating that any new contract drawn for housemaids from January 1 will have a minimum wage of Dh825 vis-a-vis the existing Dh600. All employers will have to pay Sri Lankan housemaids this revised amount."

This decision comes in the wake of the visit by Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, to Dubai in October, when he told reporters that the Government was considering increasing the wages.

Senanayake clarified that agents are permitted to bring housemaids for Dh600 till January 31 on contracts which have already been approved by the Consulate and the Embassy.

According to procedures, the missions first approve the contract drawn up by the agent, after which the housemaid is brought from Sri Lanka to the UAE.

"Since these contracts have already been approved by us, the minimum wage will remain Dh600. However, anyone brought in after January 31, will have to be paid Dh825," he added.

He also noted that any contract renewed after January 1 will be considered as a new one and the employer would have to pay the revised wage.

Khaleej Times