ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER 30 March 2013 18 Jumada I 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5654 Price: QR2 ON SATURDAY Cases of commercial fraud on the rise DOHA: With the Qatari market expand- ing and foreign businesses increasing their presence here, there has been a surge in the number of cases of commer- cial fraud being heard by local courts. Legal circles say illegal practices being resorted to by some retailers for profiteer- ing, like replacing product labels and not complying with Qatari standards and speci- fications, are among the common violations being committed. Then, there are cases of retail outlets announcing promotions without seeking the necessary permission from the Consumer Protection Department (CPD) of the Ministry of Business and Trade, the state- run consumer rights’ watchdog. Some retailers don’t give purchase receipts to customers although it is legally binding on them to do so. According to Al Sharq, in the last three months the CPD has conducted as many as 3,000 raids on retail outlets — a record of sorts in such a short period — to check their compliance with the consumer pro- tection law. There has been a similar surge in the number of consumer complaints received by the CPD during that period (January 2013 till date) — an incredible 900 in such a short span. Market sources attribute the rise in the number of consumer complaints and the resulting large number of raids on outlets to the increasing presence of foreign busi- nesses in the country. Some of these businesses are looking for quick profits, and so are least bothered about consumer rights and Qatari laws aimed at protecting these rights. THE PENINSULA MADE TO WAIT Qatari investors to buy Printemps PARIS: Qatari investors are set to buy THE ISSUE 100 percent of French department store Printemps, official documents show. The tourist shopping hot spot has been A new trend is catching on in the A Spanish executive bachelor, for instance, part-time household work with large families. the target of a joint bid by Italian business- country whereby expatriate families has a company assign a maid to his accommo- Qatari families still prefer full-time live-in man Maurizio Borletti allied with Qatari dation for four hours a day in a week and he maids supplied by manpower agencies, which, investors, but is also coveted by French are increasingly relying on maid pays QR100 for the service. according to lawyer Mohsin Thiyab Al Suwaidi, retail arch-rival Galeries Lafayette. services provided by companies. Maid service companies, as they are called, are legally barred from supplying maids to Through Luxembourg-based company provide free food, uniforms and accommodation households for part-time work. Divine Investments, Qatari investors are Given the growing demand, there Abraham Augusthy to the women in their employ and provide them “An agency can recruit a maid and supply offering to buy Borletti Group’s 30 percent has been a sudden surge in the transport as well, in that they ferry them to her to a household for a fee,” said Al Suwaidi. stake in Printemps as well as the 70 per- number of companies offering such and from households where they are assigned Asked about maid service companies, he hinted Design: cent holding owned by Deutsche Bank’s real services. to work. they might have a valid licence for that purpose, estate investment unit RREEF, according The monthly pay of these maids ranges from else they could not operate. to official documents. QR1,200 to QR1,500, and most of them make He said an unwelcome new trend in the See also page 15 hese companies are directly recruit- some extra money by way of tips given by many country was that of manpower agencies recruit- ing maids from countries like the families. ing maids and sending them to countries like New licence plates Philippines, Indonesia and Kenya, The companies charge the households they Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Lebanon, where hir- Tamong others, retaining them under service anywhere from QR25 to QR40 an hour, ing costs are exorbitant. their sponsorship and supplying them to and the majority of them insist that a maid “This is tantamount to human trafficking,” disappoint some households to work on an hourly basis in the must be engaged for a minimum of four hours said the lawyer. He said Qatari families were daytime. a day. suffering because most maids provided by the DOHA: Owners of cars with special Cooking, ironing, cleaning, washing clothes, Some companies even charge QR100 an hour, agencies run away within the legally stipulated number licence plates say their new for- tending to children and even walking the family claiming they have highly trained maids work- probation period of three months. mat diminishes the value of the plates, a dog are some of the jobs the women employees ing with them. The companies insist they have “These maids go back to the agencies, which local Arabic daily has reported. of these companies do in households that seek a valid licence to operate and what they are assign them to other households, so the family The licence plates have been changed their services. doing is legal. that has paid the recruitment fee through the from their old format, which contained the PAGEA welcome development 6 is that bachelor They equate themselves with cleaning com- nose loses the money,” said the lawyer, call- plate numbers in both English and Arabic, executives or expatriates in upper income panies that provide janitorial services to busi- ing for the maid recruitment process to be to the European model so the numbers can brackets living single and needing cooking, ness premises and large households, mostly on streamlined. be clearly seen from a distance. cleaning and washing services in their homes long-term contracts. But maid service compa- THE PENINSULA Full story on page 4 can also hire these maids. nies are not known to strike long-term deals for See also page 2 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 MARCH 30, 2013 ON SATURDAY 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com Home Part-time maids come in handy Demand outstrips supply as agents face problems in recruiting new domestic workers How do they function? BY FAZEENA SALEEM to supply a housemaid, especially at the them hire maids for four hours, some for Are they under the maid supply agency’s weekend. eight hours, depending on their require- sponsorship? ompanies providing housemaids ment. We get more calls nowadays, and Yes, they are under the company’s sponsorship. to families at hourly rates have at times the number of maids we have is sprung up in Qatar, cashing in on Services and fees not enough,” said an official of another How much do they charge? Cincreasing demand from citizens The maids are brought in mostly from company. Until recently, the firm was able QR35 or more per hour. They work for a minimum and expatriates. the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal and to supply maids to families on the day of of four hours per visit. These maids are hired by households for Kenya. the booking, but now it requires advance services ranging from cleaning to cooking Most of them do only cleaning jobs. But notice, due to the high demand. What all do they do, apart from cleaning? and babysitting. there are some who work as babysitters, “We need at least one day’s notice Ironing, laundry, cooking, babysitting and walking Stringent rules being imposed by several do cooking and laundry and take care of because all our maids get engaged with the dog. Asian countries for recruitment of house- pets. Some even do simple tailoring jobs work. Some customers book them on a maids have apparently given a boost to this demanded by the families. regular basis. It is impossible to supply a Does the same maid come for every visit? relatively new business, with many fami- The fees for the services range between maid at the weekend unless advance book- If you set up a regular weekly schedule, they lies now shying away from hiring full-time QR35 and QR100 per hour. ing is done,” the official explained. arrange to send the same maid for every visit. maids. The majority of maids work for a mini- The Philippine government has raised mum of four hours straight, or for eight What are their timings? the minimum wage for Filipina housemaids hours if the booking is for the whole day. Challenges They work six days a week, Friday being their day to $400. A sudden increase in the number The employers take care of their trans- Part-time maids face problems simi- off. There are two shifts -- 9am to 1pm and 2pm of runaway Indonesian maids forced the port and make sure that the maids reach lar to what the full-timers face. But the to 6pm. Indonesian embassy here to stop endorse- and leave the house at the scheduled time. complaints are fewer in number and are ment of job contracts of housemaids for a Normally, their services are available six mostly sorted out by their employers. Do they bring their own cleaning material? few weeks. The decision was revoked later. days a week in two shifts, in the morning If there are repeated complaints related They provide cleaning material for an additional Complaints about abuse of housemaids are and afternoon. The maids get a day off to a certain family, the employers try to charge, including cleaning agents, mop, bucket on the rise, and several families are look- every week, mostly on Fridays.