Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah issued a decision setting KD 60 as the minimum monthly wage for domestic helpers in Kuwait, in the first such step in the country.

For the first time, maids are entitled to demand overtime for working extra hours. The law bans the employment of maids under 20 years and above 50 years of age. It also stipulates one maid for families of up to four, two maids for families comprising five to eight members and three maids for families consisting of more than eight people. The law also stipulates for the first time an end of service indemnity for maids equal to a month’s pay for each year of service. The law applies to private drivers, maids, babysitters and cooks.

The decision also entrust the interior ministry’s domestic helpers department with the powers to resolve disputes between maids, their employers or offices within three months.

The law, passed by the Assembly last year, grants domestic helpers unprecedented rights including limiting daily working hours to eight, a mandatory weekend and a 30-day paid annual leave.

According to the latest available figures, there are around 600,000 domestic helpers in Kuwait, the overwhelming majority of whom are Asian.