Main Thread for Foreign Domestic Workers

[BanCoe]

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...

Handphone use in the old days - the maids only used to call home (and that too using the cards and using my land line to save the money); now with internet and wifi they are on viber, whatsapp and whats not, facebook and what more now, govt. insists that maids be of certain education level nowadays so what to say??, when even she walks my dog i know she will chat chat with neighboring maids and my dog will be just sitting; I have seen even my ownself how maids "pakat" on timing and are at the park connector benches with their fellow dogs and i can say, well my dog  gets some social interaction too this way; As on her off days I walk my dog and suddenly my dog wants to sit in a particular place where all the maids are seated in the park, ...... i guess i should just go and also "socialise"  with them      

 

Thats why I say call it evolution or revolution ;    

 

But on the flip side ; I have seen some in my neighbourhood make their maid wash the cars as early as abt. 6.15am ; Dont know what they can even see so early in the AM.   

Edited October 17, 2015 by BanCoe

[Baal]

I cant wait to send my Indon maid home.  Anyway sometime back, JW said that they must stop sending their womenfolk overseas as maids, so as to preserve the dignity of their country.

[Count-Bracula]

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

Was at Peninsula earlier and wah! The stretch outside Adelphi was a picnic ground full of myanmese workers, both male and female. Eating and drinking beer. Later, at Peninsula Plaza, there was a scuffle and 2 police cars came.

 

My oh my. Got myanmese chickens plying there, wear until butt cheeks showing.

Woah!

I thought maids not supposed to wash cars. Maid agencies must make sure there are aware of it.

[Vid]

Was at Peninsula earlier and wah! The stretch outside Adelphi was a picnic ground full of myanmese workers, both male and female. Eating and drinking beer. Later, at Peninsula Plaza, there was a scuffle and 2 police cars came.

 

My oh my. Got myanmese chickens plying there, wear until butt cheeks showing.

Woah!

I thought maids not supposed to wash cars. Maid agencies must make sure there are aware of it.

 

Not all of them are here as maids mah. Some are employed by companies for other positions so cannot say they are maids. Same goes for Indo and Filipinos. 

[A_korusawa]

just bump into my contractor (blangah) in the bus-stop this morning.... he painted my house last year . . .

I might as well give him a ride to nearest mrt.

so i asked him why he is here . . .  no jobs else where?

he then showed me pictures from his handphone, saying . . .  sir, i got many girlfrens here mahhhh

woah cow! all kinky pictures of him and maids! he even tells me where these maids are working from . . my neighbours a few streets away! he even told me he can easily get 'invited' into the houses as the employers not at home most of the time!

then I told him dun be yaya! some houses are equipped with cctvs, like mine ..... remember?

he answered . . ." ops! then maybe i call them out then!" . . .

wtf!

 

 

[Showster]

Maid leapt to death from 14th floor of condo after attacking employer with a hammer

A police cordon is seen around the site where Ms Palwinder Kaur, a maid, jumped to her death after attacking her employer with a hammer, on Jan 19, 2015. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

PUBLISHED

3 HOURS AGO

 

Elena Chong

Court Correspondent

 

 

SINGAPORE - A foreign domestic worker leapt to her death from the window of a condominium unit after hitting her employer on the head with a hammer, a coroner's court heard.

Indian national Palwinder Kaur, 25, had been working for Ms Divya Bhardwaj, 38, and her husband, Mr Shekhrendhu Bhardwaj, 44, at the Aquarius by the Park in Bedok Reservoir Road at the time of her death on Jan 19 this year.

In December last year - about a month into her employment - Ms Divya found $270 missing and suspected the maid of stealing her money.

 

A few days later - on Dec 21 - her husband found out that the maid had made international calls to India using his elder son's mobile phone. Later that day, Palwinder Kaur also confessed to having stolen the money.

Ms Divya decided to send her back to the maid agency the next day.

However, the couple were persuaded to take her back and give her a second chance as she was "very remorseful''. They fetched her from the agency back to their condominium on Jan 5.

But she abused their trust again and assaulted Ms Divya with a hammer on Jan 19.

The day before, Mr Bhardwaj discovered an additional mobile phone bill showing 17 calls to India. He confronted the domestic helper, who pleaded with him not to tell the maid agent about it. Mr Bhardwaj left for Surabaya, Indonesia, on a business trip later that day.

At around 7.45am the next day, Ms Divya was working on her laptop when Palwinder Kaur told her not to tell the maid agent about the additional phone bill.

Ms Divya said she would discuss the matter when her husband returned on Jan 24. The maid answered yes three times and went to the kitchen.

Suddenly, Ms Divya felt a hard blow on her head from behind. She also heard the maid say in an aggressive tone, "Will you inform the agent? Will you inform my family? I will teach you'."

Ms Divya fell after she was hit. Palwinder Kaur used her hand to cover the mouth and nose of Ms Divya in an apparent attempt to suppress her breathing. Ms Divya struggled and tried to push the hand away. She saw the hammer nearby and shouted for help.

A few minutes later, her neighbour came down and Ms Divya, who was covered with blood all over her face, told him to call the police. She said the maid was trying to kill her. The neighbour later overheard the security guard saying that the maid had jumped down.

Palwinder Kaur was pronounced dead by a paramedic at 8.36am.

In his findings on Thursday (Oct 22), State Coroner Marvin Bay said all the evidence pointed to her fall from height to be a deliberate act on Ms Palwinder's part.

"She appeared to have been irrationally troubled by the revelation of her additional hand phone bills, having pleaded with Mr Shekhrendhu and Ms Divya on separate occasions not to inform her agent Madam Narinderit about the additional hand phone bills. She had been apparently aggrieved that Ms Divya signalled that she could not accede to this request," he said.

He said the sheer savagery of her attack appeared to be wildly disproportionate with any conceivable grievance that she might have held against her employer.

"This would point to Ms Palwinder Kaur being likely to be in a profoundly disturbed state of mind, when she attacked Ms Divya with the hammer and made an attempt to suffocate her, while she was down. While waiting for the police to arrive, Ms Palwinder had probably realised that her desperate strategy to stage an assault from Ms Divya by inflicting herself with head injuries, would convince no one. She appears at this juncture to have chosen to end her life, by causing herself to fall from her window at the 14th floor of the block,'' he said before ruling her death to be an act of suicide.

 

[BanCoe]

Maid takes her life for her silliness ...... now employer has to face the brunt..... Lucky the employer had brought up the issue of the phone bill and theft to the Agent, if not the Employer would have gotten more problems;  

 

This phone thing has really kind of gone out of control nowadays... good old days maid comes and goes after 2 years of work for home leave for 2-3 weeks  and come back again ,nowadays within a few months of work all want transfers already and the people back in their country think Singapore is a pot of gold and easy money and they are not used to our fast pace of multitasking work and expectations.      

 

    

 

Maid leapt to death from 14th floor of condo after attacking employer with a hammer

A police cordon is seen around the site where Ms Palwinder Kaur, a maid, jumped to her death after attacking her employer with a hammer, on Jan 19, 2015. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

PUBLISHED

3 HOURS AGO

 

Elena Chong

Court Correspondent

 

 

SINGAPORE - A foreign domestic worker leapt to her death from the window of a condominium unit after hitting her employer on the head with a hammer, a coroner's court heard.

Indian national Palwinder Kaur, 25, had been working for Ms Divya Bhardwaj, 38, and her husband, Mr Shekhrendhu Bhardwaj, 44, at the Aquarius by the Park in Bedok Reservoir Road at the time of her death on Jan 19 this year.

In December last year - about a month into her employment - Ms Divya found $270 missing and suspected the maid of stealing her money.

 

A few days later - on Dec 21 - her husband found out that the maid had made international calls to India using his elder son's mobile phone. Later that day, Palwinder Kaur also confessed to having stolen the money.

Ms Divya decided to send her back to the maid agency the next day.

However, the couple were persuaded to take her back and give her a second chance as she was "very remorseful''. They fetched her from the agency back to their condominium on Jan 5.

But she abused their trust again and assaulted Ms Divya with a hammer on Jan 19.

The day before, Mr Bhardwaj discovered an additional mobile phone bill showing 17 calls to India. He confronted the domestic helper, who pleaded with him not to tell the maid agent about it. Mr Bhardwaj left for Surabaya, Indonesia, on a business trip later that day.

At around 7.45am the next day, Ms Divya was working on her laptop when Palwinder Kaur told her not to tell the maid agent about the additional phone bill.

Ms Divya said she would discuss the matter when her husband returned on Jan 24. The maid answered yes three times and went to the kitchen.

Suddenly, Ms Divya felt a hard blow on her head from behind. She also heard the maid say in an aggressive tone, "Will you inform the agent? Will you inform my family? I will teach you'."

Ms Divya fell after she was hit. Palwinder Kaur used her hand to cover the mouth and nose of Ms Divya in an apparent attempt to suppress her breathing. Ms Divya struggled and tried to push the hand away. She saw the hammer nearby and shouted for help.

A few minutes later, her neighbour came down and Ms Divya, who was covered with blood all over her face, told him to call the police. She said the maid was trying to kill her. The neighbour later overheard the security guard saying that the maid had jumped down.

Palwinder Kaur was pronounced dead by a paramedic at 8.36am.

In his findings on Thursday (Oct 22), State Coroner Marvin Bay said all the evidence pointed to her fall from height to be a deliberate act on Ms Palwinder's part.

"She appeared to have been irrationally troubled by the revelation of her additional hand phone bills, having pleaded with Mr Shekhrendhu and Ms Divya on separate occasions not to inform her agent Madam Narinderit about the additional hand phone bills. She had been apparently aggrieved that Ms Divya signalled that she could not accede to this request," he said.

He said the sheer savagery of her attack appeared to be wildly disproportionate with any conceivable grievance that she might have held against her employer.

"This would point to Ms Palwinder Kaur being likely to be in a profoundly disturbed state of mind, when she attacked Ms Divya with the hammer and made an attempt to suffocate her, while she was down. While waiting for the police to arrive, Ms Palwinder had probably realised that her desperate strategy to stage an assault from Ms Divya by inflicting herself with head injuries, would convince no one. She appears at this juncture to have chosen to end her life, by causing herself to fall from her window at the 14th floor of the block,'' he said before ruling her death to be an act of suicide.

 

 

[Showster]

Very true...

 

My previous helper chalked up hundreds of dollars of phone bills every month. There was once it went over $400 (1 month bill). I was like, her salary could barely cover these bills. She even allegedly took our child's jewellery gifts to pawn to cover these losses (this was confirmed from hearsay from neighbor's helper after she left).

 

But one thing she did excellently well was the care of our child. We did not pursue the matter as we had no clear evidence and took it as our own carelessness. We even bought jewellery when we sent her back. Most important is child is safe.

 

 

 

 

Maid takes her life for her silliness ...... now employer has to face the brunt..... Lucky the employer had brought up the issue of the phone bill and theft to the Agent, if not the Employer would have gotten more problems;  

 

This phone thing has really kind of gone out of control nowadays... good old days maid comes and goes after 2 years of work for home leave for 2-3 weeks  and come back again ,nowadays within a few months of work all want transfers already and the people back in their country think Singapore is a pot of gold and easy money and they are not used to our fast pace of multitasking work and expectations.      

 

[BanCoe]

Very true...

 

My previous helper chalked up hundreds of dollars of phone bills every month. There was once it went over $400 (1 month bill). I was like, her salary could barely cover these bills. She even allegedly took our child's jewellery gifts to pawn to cover these losses (this was confirmed from hearsay from neighbor's helper after she left).

 

But one thing she did excellently well was the care of our child. We did not pursue the matter as we had no clear evidence and took it as our own carelessness. We even bought jewellery when we sent her back. Most important is child is safe.

you're a model employer I must say, depending on the country of Origin of the maids; they have loans upto (as far as i know and I already kenna is 8 months) and I pay her a miserly $50/- for out of pocket expenses ; Even we give her all the toiletries initially for the 1st 8 months and Wah Loww!! on the 9th month of collecting her full pay check  plus i gave advance 1/2 month ... smart phone comes in....... and then it all started...... attitude........ 

[Showster]

Actually I asked my wife, if get a helper pay $200 extra no handphone can bo?

 

If need to then we arrange a time for her to use...

 

And then I looked at myself, how gadget addiction affects me. I will have to show that I can give up these gadgets too... If all my gadget time is channelled to work, I believe can also get paid $200 extra too. Will I bear to give them up?

 

 

you're a model employer I must say, depending on the country of Origin of the maids; they have loans upto (as far as i know and I already kenna is 8 months) and I pay her a miserly $50/- for out of pocket expenses ; Even we give her all the toiletries initially for the 1st 8 months and Wah Loww!! on the 9th month of collecting her full pay check  plus i gave advance 1/2 month ... smart phone comes in....... and then it all started...... attitude........ 

 

[BanCoe]

Actually I asked my wife, if get a helper pay $200 extra no handphone can bo?

 

If need to then we arrange a time for her to use...

 

And then I looked at myself, how gadget addiction affects me. I will have to show that I can give up these gadgets too... If all my gadget time is channelled to work, I believe can also get paid $200 extra too. Will I bear to give them up?

i guess you are correct ; all this time we spend (or rather waste also   )on MCF can earn back this money also