Asian maid in Gulf becomes millionaire, receives salary arrears for 17 years

A Sri Lankan maid received one of the largest salary arrears after she was paid SR88,600 (Dh86,778) in back wages for the past 17 years in Saudi Arabia. The amount equals 3.6 million in Sri Lankan rupees.

K.G. Kusumawathi, now 44, had come to the Kingdom in the year 2000 when she was 27 and had two toddlers, a daughter Hansika Sewwandi, then 2, and son Thushitha Madusha, who was then 4.

She then started working as a maid and her sponsor paid her monthly salary of SR400 for the first eight years.

Kusumawathi had SR38,600 in cash in hand when the authorities tracked her at the workplace. The balance of SR50,000 was paid by the employer.

According to reports in Arab News, Susil Kumar Peli, the labor counselor at the Sri Lankan Consulate in Jeddah, was quoted saying that the mission tracked the maid based on a complaint made in Colombo by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and Justice and Foreign Employment Minister Thalatha Atukorale six months ago.

Peli added that based on the information provided, he said the mission sought the assistance of the governorate in Taif which traced the sponsor, and the maid was promptly brought to the mission. The maid had told the mission that there was no harassment by the sponsor except for the refusal to grant her permission to go home after the contracted period.

According to Saudi regulations, the sponsor is duty bound to send maids back home on completion of their work contracts.

The counselor said that the maid was sent home and she had a grand reunion in her hometown.

The minister Thalatha was thankful to the Saudi government and the island's consulate in Jeddah for their cooperation in sending maid back home with her paid-up salary.