Domestic Helpers Recruitment Association urges gov’t to step in and help sector

AMMAN — President of the Domestic Helpers Recruitment Association Khaled Hseinat on Sunday urged the government to step in and help the sector saying it is “on the brink of collapse” due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are one of the sectors affected by the COVID-19 crisis and we do not have any financial resources," Hseinat said.

There are 164 offices in the Kingdom that have been closed "since March and some of the owners have already been involved in legal disputes with the owners of the buildings where their offices were", he told The Jordan Times.

"We urge the government to look at other countries' experiences in this regard, and to allow domestic helpers to come to the Kingdom from the countries which have the least numbers of COVID-19 cases under strict health rules," Hseinat added.

The association president also called on the Social Security Corporation (SSC) to continue paying the salaries of the employees since the offices have been closed for over five months.

“We have been closed for over five months and there might be a new lockdown since we have some cases now, which means that the airport will not open soon,” Hseinat added.

Recruitment agencies have also called for the postponement of tax dues of the sector by at least one year, with installments beginning next year, and obliging the SSC to pay the salaries of sector workers, he said.