French embassy clarifies on house workers fees

In response to a report published on last week about France imposing fees on domestic workers who accompany families (employers), the Embassy of France in Kuwait clarified that domestic workers fall within the category of employed persons working in the private sector according to the French Labor Law, reports Al-Qabas daily.

An official at the embassy in an exclusive press statement said that, “When a person is hired in France, it is necessary to declare the salary for social security and then pay the due contributions according to the number of working hours, the total salary period and the employment period based on the work contract.

The subscription fee depends on the number of working hours for the employee, the total net salary paid to him and the period of employment. A domestic worker falls within the scope of the employees, as she works for the sponsor, and has a salary and a period of employment based on her work contract. Therefore, the sponsor must pay her social security, a condition that was recently applied to all domestic workers accompanying the sponsors.

These fees are included in the state budget and are applicable in many European countries. These fees do not apply only to Kuwaitis, but to all nationalities.

He said, “The French authorities may request proof of payment of social security contributions (fees) by the employer upon arrival in France or during residence. Verifying the completion of these mandatory formalities protects Kuwaitis from any problems in France. The fees are insurance for workers, irrespective of whether they are Kuwaitis or others.”