Several female cleaning workers on contract work for the Ministry of Education have accused the company that hired them of underpaying them and making them work on an hourly basis in violation of Kuwait labor contract regulations.
The workers complained that they had been recruited by local agencies in their home country after paying the equivalent of KD300 per person as ‘fees’ to process their work contracts. One Indian worker said that she, along with a friend, had paid the equivalent of KD600 for their contract and visa. Though the contract had stipulated KD120 as monthly salary, they ended up receiving only KD70 while the remaining KD50 was deducted for their housing.
She added that recently, she along with her friend and six others had left the company accommodation as it was unsuitable for human habitation and instead rented a three-bedroom flat in Khaitan area where each of them pays KD40 per month.
The stressed worker also revealed that the company that hired them has contracted with nearby households and sends them to work in these places after their normal duty hours. She added that a typical day starts at 3.00 am when the bus takes them to work in the Ministry of Education. Duty starts from 4.30am and continues to 2.00pm when the bus takes them back to their house. After that, around 4.30pm, they resume their second job cleaning neighboring houses and end the day having worked for more than 15 hours.
