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Part-time maids become scarce due to amnesty

DUBAI /SHARJAH — Expatriates returning from vacations are facing problems finding part-time household help as several 'maids' have availed themselves of the amnesty announced by the UAE government.

People gradually returning to the UAE after spending their vacations abroad say the hired help they had depended upon for their daily household chores, had taken advantage of the amnesty, leaving them without any options.

They also say they are having trouble looking for new help as the response is low. Besides, the available ones have increased their charges by at least Dh200 per month or from Dh10 to Dh20 per hour so as to reap maximum benefits from the situation, they add.

Aparna M, a working Indian expatriate who had hired a part-time Filipino maid to do the cleaning and washing work at her house said: “I came back from vacation to find that my maid had disappeared without any information. I am looking for a new one but it seems that the demand is more than supply now.”

She adds: “Whoever I interviewed seems to have increased their charges either to make enough money before departing for good next month when amnesty ends, or to benefit from the absence of others.”

Says Indu, another working Indian woman: “The same happened with me. But my problem is that I have children who need to be looked after while I am at work. My kids were attached to my Indonesian housemaid who has now left the country.”

She adds: “It is now double burden on me because I have to do all the household work before leaving for office while my children are neglected. I wish the UAE introduces easier rules for housemaids or even starts considering reduction of sponsorship fee so that it is easier to sponsor someone whom we trust.”

As per the UAE law, hiring any runaway help is illegal, but most expatriates flout the rule openly. Recently, the government announced that those found guilty of hiring help illegally could face a fine of up to Dh10,000.

“I wish the government could relax the rules for hiring household help. Not all people require a maid 24 hours. Like I need someone to come and do the necessary household chores and then leave after her work is done. Now for this kind of work, I will not pay a huge amount to sponsor a maid and bear her expenses for a year,” says Fatima Mansoori, an Arab expatriate teacher.

Says Noorjehan, an Indonesian housemaid who had fled her sponsor due to ill-treatment, “We all know that we are illegal and working part time is also against the rules, but people are willing to hire us because it solves many of their problems. I still have another year to go before my visa expires. Therefore, I will work until then.

According to the figures issued by the Interior Ministry last year, around 600,000 people work legally as domestic staff in the UAE, with at least a double number working illegally. Currently, the UAE’s principal response to runaway housemaids is to deport them.