The move comes following an agreement reached between the government of The Gambia and Saudi Arabia during the 2023 Africa-Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia, with the signing of “Bilateral Labour Agreement for the Recruitment of Domestic Workers” and the “Bilateral Labour Agreement for the Recruitment of Skilled Workers” to provide a structured and regulated framework for the recruitment and employment of Gambians in Saudi Arabia. The agreements include provisions for fair wages, working conditions among others.
This agreement accords Gambians to legally work in Saudi Arabia and to protect the rights of both employers and domestic workers and regulate the contractual relation between them.
Is a popular adage that ‘experience is the best teacher’ in view of the fact where we have seen other schemes where a number of black African domestic workers in Saudi and other Gulf States were maltreated and faced all sorts of degrading rights abuses at the hands of their masters.
Some view this agreement as ‘timely and a move in the right direction’ especially looking at the country’s current youth unemployment rate. We call on Saudi employers to stay glued to the agreement and always respect the rights of people as the scheme commences.
It is true that the objective of every country is to create enough employment for its citizens. However, these ambitious dreams are hard to come by because in most advanced countries, there exist those who are jobless.
According to Baboucarr O. Joof, Minister for Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE), the importance of this economic advancement opportunity cannot be overemphasised as it highlights the government's commitment to ensuring their safety and well-being while abroad.
Minister Joof equally assured that the government and the licensed agencies would monitor their welfare and provide them with the necessary support during their stay in the Kingdom.
In essence, those who work as domestic workers in Saudi include those who perform a variety of household services for a private household, such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and caring for children or the elderly. So they work different time schedules depending on the agreement reached with their respective employers.
Since some have already departed, we call on them to be good ambassadors of The Gambia in Saudi and report any complaints to the Gambian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Trade or to the licensed agencies.
In the same vein, the Gambia Embassy in Saudi should from time to time monitor the welfare of these people so as to determine how some of them are faring.
Yes, it will be a difficult task but patriotism calls for ‘watch each other’s back.’ To the Saudi employers, they should make sure they receive these people with open arms as they arrive in the country to undertake their various job descriptions.
It is important to state here that working in a foreign country as domestic servants requires tolerance, humility and perseverance to attain one’s desired objectives.