Ministry shuts down domestic worker offices for price violations

• The Ministry of Commerce and Industry closed several offices for failing to adhere to prescribed prices and for not providing Knet devices for sales, as required by laws mandating electronic payments and prohibiting cash transactions.

• Recruitment from Asian countries is now capped at about 750 dinars, while recruitment from African countries is set at 575 dinars. An additional 350 dinars is required for the special passport.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has shut down several domestic worker recruitment offices for violating price regulations set by official decisions. The offices will face penalties, including prosecution and commercial closure, according to Q8-Press.

Informed sources revealed that the ministry has issued warnings to the owners of these offices and summoned them for investigation regarding the reasons for their price increases. If these violations are confirmed, the ministry will impose more severe penalties.

The ministry also discovered during inspection tours that some offices did not issue receipts for labor services. These offices will be held accountable once the investigation is complete.

Previously, the ministry closed several offices for failing to adhere to prescribed prices and for not providing Knet devices for sales, as required by laws mandating electronic payments and prohibiting cash transactions.

The ministry issued a decision at the beginning of this year to amend certain provisions of Decree No. 103 of 2022, which regulates the prices for recruiting domestic workers. Recruitment from Asian countries is now capped at about 750 dinars, while recruitment from African countries is set at 575 dinars. An additional 350 dinars is required for the special passport. These amounts represent the maximum limits for recruitment prices, including the travel ticket.

Additionally, sources from the Public Authority for Manpower revealed that there were 448 recruitment offices registered with the authority by the end of August. Inspections by the Department of Regulation of Recruitment of Domestic Workers led to the suspension of 12 offices for violating activity regulations. Of these, “ten suspensions were lifted once the offices rectified their violations and amended their status.”

The sources also noted that the authority canceled four office licenses last month while issuing approximately 60 new licenses. The total number of complaints against offices monitored by the concerned administration reached 377 within the month.