New insurance scheme for Lankan domestic workers in Saudi

Rasika Somarathna

A new insurance scheme introduced to assist Sri Lankan domestic workers to Saudi Arabia will cover policyholders against the potential costs of legal action, brought by or against them.

In addition to legal costs, the insurance will cover medical expenses and will provide death benefits, and compensation in case of abuse, loss of jobs and non- payment of salaries etc for the beneficiaries.

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) will implement the scheme in partnership with the International Social Security Program (ISSP).

SLBFE sources said the agreement in this regard was signed in Colombo recently and it will encompass all migrant domestic workers to Saudi Arabia from April. Those already working in Saudi will be integrated to the new insurance when their work agreements are renewed.

The insurance scheme will not only look after the workers but their employers as well by covering possible losses incurred in case of wrong doings by the worker. In the case of an employee vacating his or her job before the stipulated end of the contract, the employer is compensated for the initial payment they made to the employment agent and for expenses such as airline tickets.

Another feature of the new scheme is that the employer will have to pay the total insurance premium without any financial burden to the employee.

Saudi Arabia has the largest concentration of Sri Lankan migrant workers (around 550,000) and a majority are domestic aides.