Employers are barred from sharing a room with a nanny of the opposite sex in a clause of a newly drafted Beijing housekeeping standard contract, the Beijing Daily reported Wednesday.

One out of ten families in Beijing hired nannies last year, and demand is still on rise this year. [File Photo]

This standard work contract, which will be brought into effect in December, is now under discussion by the housekeeping service guild, legal experts and nanny representatives.

The new standard nails down the employer's rights and responsibilities, including rescission of the contract terms in cases of nannies caught stealing or found to have infectious diseases.

According to the new rules, housekeeping service intermediaries and the nannies they recommend will be jointly liable for compensation of the employer's losses.

As for the employers, they pay a deposit to the intermediaries to liquidate damages they might incur on the nannies.

The standard contract better protects nannies' rights to rest and leisure, including four days off every month, eight sleeping hours each day, and a ban on opposite sexes sharing a room.

The question of who will pay nannies' accidental injury insurance bill remains a major problem. Legal experts suggest intermediaries bear the responsibility of taking out insurance, the newspaper said.

However intermediary representatives cited relative clauses in the labor law to show that the nannies are not their employees and thus their insurance status is subject to the terms of the contract they sign with the people who hire them.

As for the room-sharing clause, some nanny representatives suggest that the needs of the old and handicapped should be taken into consideration, according to the report.