12 Kenyan employment agencies in Qatar closed over poor treatment of staff

Twelve Kenyan employment agencies have been blacklisted in Qatar due to the Gulf state’s terrible treatment of its employees.
Following meetings between the Secretary General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions, Francis Atwoli, and the Minister of Labor in Qatar, Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, they agreed to abolish employment agencies, which had been used to smuggle in Kenyans.
“The Ministry of Labor announced the closure of 12 labor recruitment offices, and the withdrawal of license of one recruitment office, for violating the provisions of the law, as part of the efforts of the Ministry to follow up and continuously monitor these offices, and to ensure the implementation of the decisions issued to preserve the rights of employers of domestic workers,” the statement read.
The closure decision included the following recruitment offices: Starch, Anand, Sunrise, Dubai, Frame, Al Adam, Absher, Al Methaq, Resala, Altaaon, and Althabat. In accordance with the decision, the closed offices may not engage in the activity of recruiting labor or concluding contracts with employers.
In the meeting they also agreed that Kenya should establish government to government relations with Qatar, so that the negotiations are not overseen by agencies.
The Qatar’s Ministry of Labor said they had began implementing inspection campaigns of recruitment offices to monitor their commitment to implementing the decision to extend the probation period for domestic workers from three months to nine months, and the decision setting the maximum prices for the recruitment of domestic workers.
There has been tales of suffering and abuse of Kenyan employees especially domestic workers who continue to flock to the Gulf in search for greener pastures, with the help of unscrupulous agents.