Syria Today | Syria introduces new law to protect domestic workers

Syria introduces new law to protect domestic workers

Syria moved to improve conditions for foreign workers in the country by introducing a more stringent labour law last month. The move has been hailed as an effort to give domestic workers added protection against abusive employers.

Law No. 27, titled ‘The Regulation of Private Employment Agency for Non-Syrian Domestic Helpers, Conditions and Rules of their Employments in Syria’, lays out new rules that employment agencies must follow when bringing foreigners to Syria to work as domestic staff. It also limits the time a domestic worker can stay in the country to three years and specifies that only employment agencies licensed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour may operate in the sector.

“It contains specific provisions regarding the rights of the foreign worker,” Phillipines Ambassador to Syria Wilfredo Cuyugan said in a press statement released on February 11. He added that the provisions include “an adequate salary and proper method of payment, social security coverage, suitable working conditions, annual leave, clothing, food, medicine, standard working contracts and other entitlements and benefits”.

Law No.27 also states that licensed employment agencies are responsible for providing foreign workers with a safe working environment and settling their residency fees. In addition, it specifies that employment agencies must repatriate pregnant women and workers who are mentally unstable or sick.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour is tasked with regulating the activities of licenced employment agencies under the new law. As part of the application process for a licence, employment agencies must deposit a bond which will be used to cover the payment of fines if the law is breeched, as well as cover the costs of repatriating foreign workers.

Cuyugan said fines under the new law reach SYP 100,000 (USD 2,175). He added that fines can be doubled each time the violation is repeated or if the agency fails to repatriate a foreign worker within 45 days of the termination of their employment contract.

An estimated 6,000 Filipinos, mostly women, are working in Syria as domestic staff.