Main Thread for Foreign Domestic Workers

[Watwheels]

Pity the maid. Jin kor lian.

[BanCoe]

There are 2 sides of the coin to this topic - employers abusing maids and maid also abusing employers (especially the very elderly/children) From time to time such incidents keep cropping up but its usually the expectations from the employers and Singaporeans robotic/multi tasking nature of work I guess too and we put our such demands on the maids whom come from easy going countries and are in sort of slow motion , but what she did was totally wrong to even deprive her of sleep which she so needs of at least 8 hours; Sometimes when i go for my early morning jog @ 5.30 am I see maids washing cars... I kind of wonder how much can they can even see and hopefully they get to sleep a little in the afternoon as again i see the employers walking around outside the house at about 11pm. I think if they get their rightful sleep then they should be able work well. But employers with just borne babies need to be mindful as babies can wake up anytime at night for whatever reasons and create a din in the house and everyone will be affected. But we in Singapore can be considered very lucky as in the developed world in Europe/US/Australia or NZ its having a maid is unheard of or a luxury to only very few;

[Mockngbrd]

[Maxus-MIFA9]

[Bezbee]

She doesn't deserve any sympathy...sentence her to the maximum. .... Cannot believe Lawyer still have the cheek to ask for discount.

 

What a disgrace!

Edited May 30, 2015 by Bezbee

[Vid]

Myanmar has banned women from coming to Singapore to work as maids, citing ill-treatment and abuse of maids. http://str.sg/U6r

[Enye]

every morning 7 am in my carpark car washing bay

 

1 fat woman in exercise attire doing exercises near the boot of her car supervising her maid washing the car

 

the way she does her exercises, she would burn more calories washing the car on her own instead

 

[Neost]

Myanmar has banned women from coming to Singapore to work as maids, citing ill-treatment and abuse of maids. http://str.sg/U6r

 

Who abuse who? It can be both ways you know.

[Vid]

 

Who abuse who? It can be both ways you know.

 

Then the ban will benefit both ways lor. [laugh]

[Sabian]

Myanmar has banned women from coming to Singapore to work as maids, citing ill-treatment and abuse of maids. http://str.sg/U6r

 

Well done. They are learning fast!

 

Like their Indon counterparts who will send smoke signals for us to deicpher.

 

Usually the deciphered smoke signals will reveal their is an urgent need for special brown envelope to be sent over as the previous one cannot be found.

[Vid]

https://www.facebook.com/kit.tan.9693/videos/10153367680872090/

 

Warning - Graphic content of baby abuse.

 

If anyone knows who this maid is, please ID, inform the parents and call the police.

[Sci10213]

Posted by webmaster on June 11, 2015 in Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand, Press Releases

1

Government legislation has helped improve foreign domestic workers’ access to compensation in lieu of a day off, but 59% of foreign domestic workers in Singapore still do not get a weekly day off.

To mark International Domestic Workers’ Day (16 June 2015), Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) publishes a new report: ‘The Right to Rest: The effectiveness of the ‘day off’ legislation for foreign domestic workers’. The report evaluates the impact of the mandatory weekly ‘day off’ policy for foreign domestic workers in Singapore.

The report surveyed 195 foreign domestic workers about their access to rest days and adequate compensation.

Of the domestic workers surveyed within the period of 2013-2014, 41% said they had four days off per month, 24% of domestic workers received two days off per month, 23% had only one day off per month and 10% had no days off at all.

If our sample is representative, it means that approximately 22,000 domestic workers in Singapore do not have a day off at all.

Recommendations

TWC2 makes the following recommendations to the government:

1. Increase public education to ensure compliance with existing legislation
40% of domestic workers who reported not having a weekly day off also reported not receiving compensation in lieu. We encourage the Government to raise awareness amongst the public, domestic workers, agents, and employers about existing laws. Such education could change social norms, which is one of the most effective ways to ensure compliance with the law.

2. Adequate enforcement of the ‘day off’ legislation
The fact that 40% of domestic workers who reported not getting a weekly day off also reported not receiving compensation in lieu suggests there is a gap between policy and practice. More widespread use of random checks, and publicity of cases where violations are found could close this gap.

3. Extending Employment Act rest day provisions
Exclusion of domestic workers from the Employment Act means that they miss out on many basic protections that other workers receive, including the right to a 24-hour rest period, and compensation of two days’ salary if their employer requests they give up a day off.

4. 24-hour rest day
Many domestic workers we interviewed said that they did not get a full 24-hour rest period. They start their day off only after they have completed morning chores, and return before a ‘curfew’ so that they can cook dinner.
All other workers in Singapore are entitled to a full 24-hour rest period each week. Domestic workers in Hong Kong, a comparable jurisdiction, receive a full 24-hour period for their rest day.

TWC2 advocates that to ensure that a full rest period is observed, workers should have the right to a 24 hour rest period, which should be preceded or followed by an eight hour period for sleep (32 hours in total)

5. Adequate compensation for working on a day off
The average compensation for workers in our survey for missing a day off was $17.50 per day. This is the equivalent to just less than a day’s pay in most cases. If domestic workers were covered by the Employment Act and they were working on their day off at the request of their employers, they would receive double their daily wage, or close to $40/day.

6. Minimum compulsory leave
The workers with the worst leave arrangements in our surveys were also those with the lowest pay, and with the least experience. Qualitative interviews found that these workers did not feel that they could negotiate adequate leave conditions. TWC2 believes that domestic workers should only be able to trade away a maximum of two rest days per month. Workers who do not get any days off are prone to social isolation and are cut off from friends. They are also particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

=============================================================================================

What do you think about this OFF DAY issue?

Edited June 12, 2015 by Sci10213

[Mercs]

Parent heart-broken to see video of maid kicking his 2-year-old child

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/parent-heart-broken-to-see-video-of-maid-kicking-his-2-year-old-child

[Showster]

Lawyer definitely has to plead for her if not why employ lawyer? 

 

Most important is judge shouldn't give discount. 

 

Sometimes also got some other complications in the stories behind. 

 

She doesn't deserve any sympathy...sentence her to the maximum. .... Cannot believe Lawyer still have the cheek to ask for discount.

What a disgrace!

 

[Atonchia]

Parent heart-broken to see video of maid kicking his 2-year-old child

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/parent-heart-broken-to-see-video-of-maid-kicking-his-2-year-old-child

 

They never reveal from which country.

 

Thought of getting domestic helper soon, but seeing such footage really worries me.

 

Probably have to get those at least late 20s or early thirties.

[Mercs]

Parent heart-broken to see video of maid kicking his 2-year-old child

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/parent-heart-broken-to-see-video-of-maid-kicking-his-2-year-old-child

Video of 2-year-old getting kicked: Maid charged with alleged abuse

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/video-of-2-year-old-getting-kicked-maid-charged-with-alleged-abuse

[BanCoe]

This maid issues will never end....... employers are becoming more demanding as our work lives are so demanding and so are the maids too (nowadays they want full access to mobile internet & they are net savvy but I feel nowadays the maids don't seem to be good at domestic work and easily distracted by all this mobile things and just focused on it and distracted from the kids or old people)

 

I'll call it evolution or revolution.........i have to adjust too, i hardly sleep 6-7  hours but my maid gets to sleep from 9pm till almost 7 am (what she does at night in her own room- is non of my business- i never ask ) and I know she even cat naps for an hour in the afternoon;         

[Showster]

Very true indeed.

 

IT really affects our lives profoundly. Children we still can regulate, domestic helpers are adults is very awkward to regulate. Every day have to remind them to sleep on time.

 

Work quality has indeed dipped over time. Don't know if can pay $100-200 more, no handphone use...

 

 

 

 

This maid issues will never end....... employers are becoming more demanding as our work lives are so demanding and so are the maids too (nowadays they want full access to mobile internet & they are net savvy but I feel nowadays the maids don't seem to be good at domestic work and easily distracted by all this mobile things and just focused on it and distracted from the kids or old people)

 

I'll call it evolution or revolution.........i have to adjust too, i hardly sleep 6-7  hours but my maid gets to sleep from 9pm till almost 7 am (what she does at night in her own room- is non of my business- i never ask ) and I know she even cat naps for an hour in the afternoon;