Makkah, Jul 28(Arab News): With Ramadan only a few days ahead, Saudi families are frantically searching for maids to help them with household chores.

The great demand and the fact that recruitment of manpower from a number of Southeast Asian countries is currently on hold have led to a steep hike in the salaries of housemaids.

Arab News took up the issue with a number of Saudi housewives, who were unanimous about the need for a house help during the fasting month.

Futoon Al-Saad said her housemaid escaped at the beginning of Shaaban, the month before Ramadan in the Islamic calendar. She said the housemaid left her a note written in the Indonesian language, which she could only decipher with the help of her Indonesian driver.

Al-Saad said the note read: “I found a job at SR2,500 in another house. I had to escape from you to get a better pay than your SR800.”

The housewife said she had no choice but to look for an illegal housemaid and accept her unrealistic demands.

On some of her friends’ advice, Al-Saad contacted a broker from Indonesia and asked her to find a housemaid to work for her during Ramadan.

Al-Saad said the broker informed her that illegal housemaids were plenty if she was willing to accept their terms, which included a salary of SR2,500 and that the work did not involve cooking or washing dishes. After bargaining, the housemaid accepted a salary of SR2,300. “I am happy now: I have someone to help me during the fasting month,” she concluded.

Suzan Gamlo, another Saudi housewife, said she asked an Indonesian housemaid broker to help her find a house help for Ramadan and gave her the address. “The broker brought the housemaid, took her commission of SR100 and left,” she added.

Gamlo said on the first day, the housemaid damaged many things. “She broke dishes and glasses. I called the broker and asked to replace her. The broker came with another housemaid and took again SR100 commission for her services,” she said.

Gamlo said the substitute was no better. “She was lazy and always complaining about her health. I asked the broker for a third one, and she answered she would take her commission again. At that point, I realized that I was a victim of fraud. I gave up the idea of looking for an illegal housemaid though I was quite ready to pay their high salary of SR2,500,” she said.

Fatima, a private sector employee, said she needed a housemaid as her family was big and her house was full of children and grandchildren. She said she willingly paid the broker a commission of SR250 and accepted the conditions of the housemaid.

The terms were a monthly salary of SR2,500, a day off in the last 10 days of Ramadan to perform Umrah, a three-day holiday at the end of Ramadan so as to be able to complete reciting the Holy Qur'an, and working hours starting after Asr prayer and continuing until 2 a.m.