Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has listed his demands for the protection and welfare of Filipino domestic workers in Kuwait.
On Wednesday, Duterte announced that his government was finalizing the draft of the agreement with Kuwait, which will be take to the Gulf nation by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, The Filipino Times reported.
Duterte has added “mandatory provisions” to the agreement. He said domestic workers should have at least seven hours of sleep daily and be given nutritious food. Observation of holidays should also be allowed.
Duterte stressed that he did not intend to generalize all Kuwaiti employers, but insisted that Filipino workers should not be mistreated.
“We are not slaves. Maybe our only fault is that we are poor,” Duterte said.
The Kuwaiti government has agreed to several conditions set by the Philippine government, prohibiting employers from confiscating their domestic workers’ mobile phones or passports, and they are not allowed to “trade” their workers to other employers.
The two sides also agreed that the minimum monthly salary of domestic workers will be 120 Kuwaiti dinars (US$400).
The agreement between Manila and Kuwait is expected to be signed in two weeks.
Read: Kuwait ensures Filipino maids can keep phones, passports
Read: Manila, Kuwait set to finalize pact on workers’ protection