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.
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