Maid policies should be changed
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Once again in the Straits Times we read about a maid who fell to her death trying to climb back to her flat after a rendez-vous with her lover and finding that her employer had locked the flat. Another article wrote about a man who spent 5 hours on the window ledge when his lover's employer came home earlier than expected.
These reports highlight a prevalent abuse of human rights in Singapore. We treat our maids as juveniles, preventing adults from the rights of association and movement. The common excuse is the maid levy that can be confiscated if the maid becomes pregnant.
I think that policy must change. Notwithstanding the possible social problems created by pregnant maids, we should not dictate who our employees should meet and indeed, whether and with whom they have sex with. Instead, there should be greater access to contraception and abortion for unwanted pregnancies. Employers should be charged for any additional costs this incur. Legislation can prevent children born to maids in Singapore from having an automatic claim to citizenship. There are better ways to deal with this problem than to imprison your maids in your homes. -
I agree with you.
Maids aren't slaves nor robots. They require rest, and are entitled to have rights. Typical employment laws should apply to them as well.
8 working hours a day, anything more and they should be paid overtime wages.
At least 1 day of rest per week.
14 days of annual leave or more.
Medical benefits. -
I think the country were maids come from also affect their working conditions. I think the Phillipines govt insist that their maids get paid a higher salary (than, lets say, Indonesian maids) and a day off every month. The Indonesia govt stipulates that their maid get a lower salary and the monthly day off is not compulsory. So, sadly, most of our maids are Indonesian, and they get low wages and no days off.
I feel that for any S'porean to employ someone else to work for them and NOT give them a day off EVER, it amounts to serious abuse of workers' rights. Something must change, if we see ourselves as compassionate S'poreans. -
Maids should be treated as per normal employees. If you cannot afford, just hire a housekeeper to clean for an hour or two and send the kids to daycare.
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But where will they live?
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Live with their lovers of course.Originally posted by MooKu:But where will they live? -
there could be a dormitory opened for non live in maids. if they can have the same kind of facilities for bangalas, they can have for maids.
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Singaporean employers will insist on live-in maids but there should be regulations on the accommodation conditions. Maids should be entitled to a room that has a window for ventilation (international environmental health standards require the window to be at least 10% of the floor area), a bed, a cupboard for her belongings and a small table/chair. They should be entitled to a day off each week.
Legislation should be changed as well. Employers who stop their maids from going out of the house should be prosecuted for illegal imprisonment. If they are not happy with the performance of their maids, they can dismiss her. Maids should be given at least an hour off each day between 7am and 10pm, so they can go out, make phone calls from a public phone or meet their boyfriends if they so wish. If domestic maids get pregnant, they should be deported as the law provides for. However, the employer cannot be held responsible for that and it is wrong to confiscate the deposit for this reason. -
Keeping current mindsets won't work.
Lazy people who clearly have no idea what an employee is.. -
Also i think more protection and aid against unscrupulous agencies. I heard that a maid has to work an extra 6 months free every time an employer rejects a maid
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How do u know that these maids don't have day off?
One of them work for expats- normally they will get off once every week/ month.
Hello! Don't forget the maid let a stranger into the house- what happens if he comes to steal/ rape?
It is fine to give them a day off to rest but not to find bf & have sex.
They know they will be repatriated yet they still persist.
Some of these maids don't have right attitude to work.
A friend of my maid said she change employers 6 times- something must be wrong with her, don't always blame the employers -
There is a lot of difference between a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) and a Foreign Worker (FW), ie those chinese, bangla, indian, thai, myanmar. The FDW works and lives in the home. All employers of FDWs have to put up a $5000 bond on her "behaviour" and if she gets into any sort of "trouble" (that includes being pregnant, suicide, etc), the $5000 is immediately confiscated irregardless under what circumstances she has got herself to. This has resulted in many employers using a sort of "no off day" kind of "imprisonment" policy with someone at home to oversee because the trust level of someone in the house is very low at the beginning of the contract.
As the trust level increases, most employers will allow their charges to go on off-days. But unfortunately, most people who do not employ FDWs do not empathise (or do not to understand) on these points and will choose to typically champion mostly human rights in a democratic society for any normal employee-employer relationship.
Do take note that this relationship is a little complicated by the laws here.. -
Everyone including idiots knows how to complain about this and dat, change this and dat. Change to wad? You so smart , propose some policies and let us see whether anyone will kpkb about them lor......... Kanasai!!
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Ya. End up nobody is going to employ maids anymore.
Firstly, it will deprive all the maids of a source of an income. Contrary to belief, maids do make alot of money compared to what they make back in their country. Why else do you think they are so eager to go overseas to work.
Secondly, while maids should have more rights, who will be responsible if anything happens. What if the maid pregnant and give birth in the house. What if the maid allow some man to come in and rape someone. Is TS going to be responsible? Its really simple, if we trust our maid, we will give them more freedom.
How is legislation going to work? Jail or fine employers who deny their maid the privileges? Is the maid going to call the police. Do you think anyone is going to hire a maid that call police? Hiring a maid is not cheap. Got agent fee, got security deposit, go levy, etc etc. -
If you do not trust a maid in the house, do not hire one. If a maid is not performing well, you can sack her. But you have no right to restrict her movements or activities.Originally posted by gerrykoh:How do u know that these maids don't have day off?
One of them work for expats- normally they will get off once every week/ month.
Hello! Don't forget the maid let a stranger into the house- what happens if he comes to steal/ rape?
It is fine to give them a day off to rest but not to find bf & have sex.
They know they will be repatriated yet they still persist.
Some of these maids don't have right attitude to work.
A friend of my maid said she change employers 6 times- something must be wrong with her, don't always blame the employers
A maid is an employee, not your daughter and definitely not your slave. -
That is why I said the legislation has to be changed. Employers cannot be held responsible for the behaviour of their empoyees. The policy over the bond has to be abolished. I would like to ask the Minister if he can put up a bond to ensure that his daughter will not get pregnant before marriage.Originally posted by livspore2006:There is a lot of difference between a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) and a Foreign Worker (FW), ie those chinese, bangla, indian, thai, myanmar. The FDW works and lives in the home. All employers of FDWs have to put up a $5000 bond on her "behaviour" and if she gets into any sort of "trouble" (that includes being pregnant, suicide, etc), the $5000 is immediately confiscated irregardless under what circumstances she has got herself to. This has resulted in many employers using a sort of "no off day" kind of "imprisonment" policy with someone at home to oversee because the trust level of someone in the house is very low at the beginning of the contract.
As the trust level increases, most employers will allow their charges to go on off-days. But unfortunately, most people who do not employ FDWs do not empathise (or do not to understand) on these points and will choose to typically champion mostly human rights in a democratic society for any normal employee-employer relationship.
Do take note that this relationship is a little complicated by the laws here..
This government polcy is wrong but it is disappointing that Opposition party MPs fail to even comment on it. Why do we need them at all when they fail to do their job? -
Nonsense. Singaporeans will still employ maids even with tighter legislation to protect the welfare of maids. If they all stop employing maids, that's good for the older, unemployed Singaporeans who can finally compete for domestic services with cheap foreign maids. But I do not believe Singaporeans will give up their maids.Originally posted by jianfish9:Ya. End up nobody is going to employ maids anymore.
Firstly, it will deprive all the maids of a source of an income. Contrary to belief, maids do make alot of money compared to what they make back in their country. Why else do you think they are so eager to go overseas to work.
Secondly, while maids should have more rights, who will be responsible if anything happens. What if the maid pregnant and give birth in the house. What if the maid allow some man to come in and rape someone. Is TS going to be responsible? Its really simple, if we trust our maid, we will give them more freedom.
How is legislation going to work? Jail or fine employers who deny their maid the privileges? Is the maid going to call the police. Do you think anyone is going to hire a maid that call police? Hiring a maid is not cheap. Got agent fee, got security deposit, go levy, etc etc.
If the maid gets pregnant, she gets deported as according to the law. Your daughter can also allow a boyfriend in and rape her. It is very simple, if you do not trust your maid, you have no business employing one. -
Originally posted by oxford mushroom:
I suppose that your maid will be very lucky if ever you have one. I wonder who trusts their maid the first day they arrive. Trust is something that has to be built up and until that level of trust is attained, then I am afraid that it has to stay the way it is. Many people do like to keep their security deposit safe, thank you very much.
Nonsense. Singaporeans will still employ maids even with tighter legislation to protect the welfare of maids. If they all stop employing maids, that's good for the older, unemployed Singaporeans who can finally compete for domestic services with cheap foreign maids. But I do not believe Singaporeans will give up their maids.
If the maid gets pregnant, she gets deported as according to the law. Your daughter can also allow a boyfriend in and rape her. It is very simple, if you do not trust your maid, you have [b]no business employing one.
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Also, unfortunately, Singaporeans do not want to compete being a domestic helper. I think we all know that. Also, I think other than simple cleaning, I don't think that singaporean domestic can or are willing to do much else.
I don't think we need the govt to give us a timetable our maids. Even so, it will be virtually impossible to implement. -
Tiok-LahOriginally posted by oxford mushroom:If you do not trust a maid in the house, do not hire one. If a maid is not performing well, you can sack her. But you have no right to restrict her movements or activities.
A maid is an employee, not your daughter and definitely not your slave.
unfortunately alot of people wont understand this and we simply cant put kindness and compassion into people.They must kena ill-treat themselves then they will open their eyes big big 
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Dont be surprise but there are many lucky maids in Singapore too cuz some employers do have a heartOriginally posted by jianfish9:I suppose that your maid will be very lucky if ever you have one. I wonder who trusts their maid the first day they arrive. Trust is something that has to be built up and until that level of trust is attained, then I am afraid that it has to stay the way it is. Many people do like to keep their security deposit safe, thank you very much.
Also, unfortunately, Singaporeans do not want to compete being a domestic helper. I think we all know that. Also, I think other than simple cleaning, I don't think that singaporean domestic can or are willing to do much else.
I don't think we need the govt to give us a timetable our maids. Even so, it will be virtually impossible to implement. -
Why is a maid necessary?
Because the parents cannot afford the time to look after their children.
Because they come home late and have no time to cook.
Because they are too tired on weekends to clean up the house.
If the living conditions did not descent to such untenable depths, perhaps the maid issue could be circumvented. Cost of living has risen to such an extent that a single income family is struggling to survive.
Nowadays, people look to maids to do everything for them. They are the family's chief multi-tasker: Child-care, gourmet chef and household cleaner all in one, perhaps even for the price of one too.
As a result, we as a people have become spolit rotten. -
Why do both parents have to work ??? To pay off HDB loans !!!??? Till they dont have time for Family ?
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Yes, and that is unfortunately true. I think I am in the minority on this issue. Most Singaporeans will reject more regulations to protect the welfare of domestic maids. And that is also why the government has been reluctant to be more proactive in this respect. There isn't ground support...Singaporeans want their cheap maids that they can bully.Originally posted by Short Ninja:Tiok-Lah unfortunately alot of people wont understand this and we simply cant put kindness and compassion into people.They must kena ill-treat themselves then they will open their eyes big big
However, we have to understand the difficulties faced by employers as well. We cannot blame employers and confiscate their deposit just because their maid gets pregnant. That is a ridiculous policy. I bet the Minister himself cannot guarantee that his teenage daughter won't get pregnant before marriage. So how can employers be responsible if their adult employee gets pregnant? That policy is part of the reason why kiasu Singaporeans treat their maids like juvenile delinquents.
I say have the deposit of $5000 but pregnancy cannot be a reason to confiscate that deposit. Rather, if the employer fails to keep his part of the contract, mistreats the maid or limits her freedom of movement or association; then that deposit can be confiscated and paid out as damages to the maid. -
We have a maid in Singapore. I don't think she is particularly lucky if she has to leave her family behind to find work so far from home. But I think we try to treat her decently. She has her own room with a big window, an electric fan, a bed, a wardrobe, shelves for books, a table and chair. She gets a day off a week but sometimes she does not want to go out; in which case, we pay her an extra day's salary.Originally posted by jianfish9:I suppose that your maid will be very lucky if ever you have one. I wonder who trusts their maid the first day they arrive. Trust is something that has to be built up and until that level of trust is attained, then I am afraid that it has to stay the way it is. Many people do like to keep their security deposit safe, thank you very much.
Also, unfortunately, Singaporeans do not want to compete being a domestic helper. I think we all know that. Also, I think other than simple cleaning, I don't think that singaporean domestic can or are willing to do much else.
I don't think we need the govt to give us a timetable our maids. Even so, it will be virtually impossible to implement.
The only other thing we did for her which may be more than what's expected of an employer is that we gave her $30 pocket money per month for the first few months. Many Singaporeans may not realize that for the first 3-6 months, your maid's salary does not go to her. It goes to the agent who paid for her airfare and other administrative costs. We feel that it would be good for her to have some pocket money over the first few months as she gets settled down in a foreign land.
Singaporeans will work as domestic help if the pay is good. With full-time foreign maids being so cheap, who would hire Singaporeans? If it were up to me, I would ban all live-in foreign maids. Instead of that, agencies bring in foreign maids, provide domitories to house them and hire them out to provide domestic service on an hourly charge basis. But Singaporeans will rise up in protest: so the government will never adopt that policy. -
While your intent is good welfare towards the maid, it is unfortunately another one more of your mindless derogatory swipe at Singaporeans in general.
One more piece of sensational news on the front page to generate more sales revenue for SPH, and you jump to swipe at Singaporeans.
Amongst the large number of maids that have been employed in Singapore, what is the percentage of ill-treatment from the entire population ?
As many of the ill-treating abuses that surfaced in the pages of the various gossip papers in Singapore, there have also been news report in print and TV broadcast on families who have gone beyond the role of employers in the welfare extended to the employee-maids.
Are Singaporeans slave masters in general ?
With no history of slavery in our country, what possibly can make normal Singaporeans to behave in such an ugly manner ?
Is this a reflection of the economic-social-political environment that a tightly and closely managed society is governed through tough legislations to govern all aspects of social behaviour and attitude ?
Should we be surprised that the government has stayed their hand in legislating another piece of legislation to mould Singaporean attitude, when so many have been legislated to little effect - but giving Singapore a dark reputation of being a very 'FINE' country ?
Even the Minister of Manpower has admitted that there are enough existing laws to deal with errant employers and maids.
Those errant few are the black sheeps in Singapore - typifying the ugly Singaporeans who have no regards towards others, talk loud, and purposeful with their crass behaviour.
Fortunately, these are only a minority few amongst the 4.5 Million Singaporeans.