Saudis OK Minimum Wage for Domestics

MANILA--Saudi Arabia has agreed to pay Filipina maids a $400 monthly minimum wage, a year after a dispute over wages halted the entry of domestic workers, reports Interaksyon.com. Saudi Arabia has agreed to lift the ban it imposed in June 2011.

The row erupted last year when Manila insisted the minimum wage for its maids was necessary to protect them from exploitation. Riyadh had resisted the demand and suspended the processing of employment contracts. Saudi Arabia is a major employer of Filipinos, with 1.2 million of them working there as laborers, technicians, salesgirls and domestic helpers. –Sept. 27, 2012