All About Full-Time Maids

[hopes]

EA_Happy:

Foreigners have Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics: HOME

How about local employers who hiring maid? Went to this website, the video clip pops out with title 'Respect our right'. How about the employers, how about the one who paid and trained them? Where is our right when maids abusing our mental and our kids? Employers need to compile a full set of evidence, such as by installing of CCTV so that can record and playback, with clear vision to show, then this case only able to bring up to be judged.

I'm wondering, do we really have a shelter for all maids' employers? At least there is a place for us to make a report for all sort of maids incident. MOM will not be attending to you if your maid did not do any big crime.

After all reports have been recorded, quarterly send it to MOM and ask them to review. They can make a statistic on how many percent of employers suffering from mental health, money, abusing case etc. It will be good too, if this publish to the public and make all maids aware that employers are having the same treatment from the government as well.

I will definately join.

[anyhowsay1]

hopes:

anyhowsay1:

Problem is, many of us cannot be bothered with all the trouble of having to prove someone wrong, and take the easier route of transfering the maid or send her home. What money can do, let money do the work. No need to think.

Dear anyhowsay1,

Can share how ? Do you have the exact organisation (pls no foreigner control NGO) and number to call for help?

Dear hopes,

Sorry to disappoint you but the only organisation I know of is CASE. Also MOM can actually help you though I must say that the officers can be sickeningly unhelpful sometimes unless you make threats to complain about them to the big bosses. Can consider seeing MPs and lawyers if something happens. What I am trying to say is that there is no Humanitarian organisation for employers, who can think for you, and champion your rights and seek redress for your hurts, if that is what you mean. WE don't need protection in that sense. We have the financial means to engage a lawyer to fight our case, advice us, and we can also go to CASE, or MOM for help and advice.

What i am actually saying is that it is a pity that many employers don't really want to trouble themselves with having to bring errant maids to task ie charge them. Prefer to send bad maids home or transfer because it is an easier route that don't require much effort on the part of the employer. This means that whatever the charges the maid brought against the employer is still unconcluded eventhough employer may not end up being charged. So this sends a signal to the maids that employers cannot do anything about the situation except to just give in and send them home / transfer them which is what they really want. There is no negative consequences for the maids thats why many of them are trying all sorts of tricks.

No choice, still must gather evidence, fight your own fight and fight it well.

[zbear]

I can see that everyone is having a lot of frustrations with MOM. I know becos my late mum also had similar probs with MOM.


Is it possible to escalate complaint to the senior officers or even threaten to bring up to the Minister of MOM? New cabinet lineup not announced yet so don’t know who is the Minister.

[ashana]

anyhowsay1:

ashana:

[quote=\"anyhowsay1\"]The maids know all these tricks. It's time we employers know some tricks too, don't you think so?

How?

When a maid wants to get her employer into trouble/break contract for other opportunities/go home, her testimony will always focus on her poor well-being and poor treatment of her welfare while living with the employer. For example, lack of sleep, lack of food, she is depressed because the employer scolded her or caused her to be so frightened. All these may not be true or perhaps contain only a small grain of truth exaggerated many folds so that they sounded very dire. Since the maid is considered a vulnerable group, the first reaction is always to protect her. This is because the well-being, mental stability and welfare of a person is important to our humanitarian government.

In defence, it is usual for the employer to complain about what the maid did eg told lies, stole money, misbehaved, negligent, etc...But in the mind of MOM officers, so what the maid told lies, stole, misbehaved etc..They still don't see how anyone is affected by the actions of the maid. Just send her home if you are not happy...

However, if the employer can show beyond reasonable doubt that the vulnerable group in her family ie the little children, the aged parents (the Pioneers!!), the family stability are affected by the actions of the maid (eg children's safety and security are threatened, aged parents' mental stability affected,
employer's job is affected because problems at home has affected performance at the workplace) etc..then the employer's arguments takes on a different slant.

When the welfare/safety/security/stability of Singaporeans (children, Pioneers) are threatened, government should do something. If they don't, then they will attract criticisms for protecting foreigners BETTER THAN own people. (this is why govt now scale back the subsidies given to foreigners and PRs in health and education sectors to show that Singaporeans matter more).

If your maid can be devious and scheming, why can't we clever singaporeans turn the tables on them?

Problem is, many of us cannot be bothered with all the trouble of having to prove someone wrong, and take the easier route of transfering the maid or send her home. What money can do, let money do the work. No need to think.[/quote]No one knows what happens behind closed doors. Because of this.. \"Just send her home if you are not happy\" it immediately places employer in a very disadvantaged position even if you have a FDW who is a devil from hell. Regardless what damages employer claimed the FDW has caused, everyone you talk to will advise \"just send her home if you are not happy...\". I can't help to agreed too although it sounds very sarcastic. That is why most authorities turn a deaf ear to employer's complains and like what you said, if you want to fight the case, you have to really exhaust your means (time and money). Come to think of it, if I have the means, I'll direct the arrow to the agency and make sure the agency learned the lessons painfully. :evil:

[janet88]

actually many would have the same advice when faced with a problematic maid…buy a ticket and send her home. if return her to the agency, it will just market her and make another sum of money from the next customer. that’s how agencies survive.

[anyhowsay1]

ashana:

No one knows what happens behind closed doors. Because of this.. \"Just send her home if you are not happy\" it immediately places employer in a very disadvantaged position even if you have a FDW who is a devil from hell. Regardless what damages employer claimed the FDW has caused, everyone you talk to will advise \"just send her home if you are not happy...\". I can't help to agreed too although it sounds very sarcastic. That is why most authorities turn a deaf ear to employer's complains and like what you said, if you want to fight the case, you have to really exhaust your means (time and money). Come to think of it, if I have the means, I'll direct the arrow to the agency and make sure the agency learned the lessons painfully. :evil:

That's what I tried. Fancy getting in all the underaged maids to create havoc. I don't blame the teenage maids cos what can we expect from teenagers running our households? Haha.. But the agencies are hard to get. It's btw you and them. They have probably gone through the mill once or twice and know some really high handed tricks and are more slippery that eels.

I somehow ended up suspecting that there are some really big shots behind some agencies. I thought my evidence should be incriminating enough. But no. So much so that MOM cannot touch.

If you want to get at the agencies, You definitely need to litigate. No other way. To do so,
(a) you need to have a strong case
(b) you need to have lots of time and money

Strong case must be grounded on sheer negligence/non action/clear cut dishonesty on the part of the agency that has resulted in
(a) suffering of your family members: mental suffering, physical injury like broken arms and legs, etc..
(b) your work performance being affected due to problems at home eg; got warning from boss
(c) you have lost a lot of money -
(d) you and your family's safety security has been threatenened

If can't get them & teach them a hard lesson, then create problems for them lor... Go to small claims tribunals (cheap way, less headache but must wait) and just claim small damages from them or let them get a warning from MOM.

There are agencies who has their licenses struck off or just merely not renewed for a year of two because they have been taken to task. Thus MOM has no choice but to strike them off the register.

[ashana]

anyhowsay1:

If you want to get at the agencies, You definitely need to litigate. No other way. To do so,
(a) you need to have a strong case
(b) you need to have lots of time and money

Strong case must be grounded on sheer negligence/non action/clear cut dishonesty on the part of the agency that has resulted in
(a) suffering of your family members: mental suffering, physical injury like broken arms and legs, etc..
(b) your work performance being affected due to problems at home eg; got warning from boss
(c) you have lost a lot of money -
(d) you and your family's safety security has been threatenened

Oh dear..these are extreme cases. None of the employers want such things to happen to their household. Touch wood! Employer should quickly get rid of the helper before serious damage occurs. Knock on wood again!

anyhowsay1:

If can't get them & teach them a hard lesson, then create problems for them lor... Go to small claims tribunals (cheap way, less headache but must wait) and just claim small damages from them or let them get a warning from MOM.

There are agencies who has their licenses struck off or just merely not renewed for a year of two because they have been taken to task. Thus MOM has no choice but to strike them off the register.

Yes yes yes, create problems for them. I could be wrong but this is more workable for me. Bite on agency tail like a mad dog if they said something like All our FDWs are very well trained in .... etc etc. All our FDWs can communicate effectively...etc Don't want off days, Don't want hand phones.. etc But you hired a helper who is completely opposite of what they claimed. Yet, you have to pay a price for their dishonesty.

Write and provide honest reviews about the agency and the quality of the helper to MOM, your friends, colleagues and relatives. Let MOM do lots of paperwork until the file is thick and heavy enough to break a tile. Hopefully, they will do something to push the entry of level higher for agency. It is only a matter of time the dishonest agencies will be out of business. Even if they aren't out of business, we can't let such unethical agencies to get bigger mah. :stompfeet:

[ashana]

anyhowsay1:

I somehow ended up suspecting that there are some really big shots behind some agencies. I thought my evidence should be incriminating enough. But no. So much so that MOM cannot touch.

I am not lawyer ah! My birdbrain is telling me employer will always be at a disadvantage because they have the power and convenience to hire and dismiss the helper. The more evidence you have gathered, the more disadvantage your position will be because you are still hiring the problematic helper despite what she has done and what you have experienced. because \"Just send her off if you are not happy...\" whereas by continue to hire the helper, it simply shows the damage is not serious enough in their perspective. :roll:

[CP169]

Re: All About Full-Time Maids

by zbear » Thu Sep 24, 2015 9:34 am
I can see that everyone is having a lot of frustrations with MOM. I know becos my late mum also had similar probs with MOM.

Is it possible to escalate complaint to the senior officers or even threaten to bring up to the Minister of MOM? New cabinet lineup not announced yet so don’t know who is the Minister.
Top

It is possible to escalate cos it’s v easy to find the higher-up names and emails in e govt online directory. However we realised that it becomes left hand dunno what right hand is doing? One MOM officer already emailed us a formal reply sent to us yet refuse to reply e outcome in e email and took away e minister’s email. (We have e letter that said our appeal is unsucessful but just testing how e MOM officer would reply & he pushed back to our court ask us to confirm if we received it and still refusing to reply e results) And suddenly another MOM generic email emailed us that MOM is looking into our appeal! How ironic!

[CP169]

I think MOM should stop transfers and make it compulsory for ex sin maid to have reference letters with direct employer’s contact.


MOM won’t do this unless the voice from the local public is strong enough, loud enough, insistent enough for policies to be changed. Go through MPs.

Definitely agree with u both. However, how to make our voices strong enough? We actually went to ?? Website before, think she tempted to keep records of bad agencies and bad FDWs on her personal blog at her own time. But she is just one voice & we recall that she has to be hush hush about this cos e activists voices seems a lot louder?!