All About Full-Time Maids

[bzmum22]

hquek:

jtoh:

If a Filipino maid goes on home leave, she'll need to get paperwork done at the embassy right? One of which is a contract which states that her salary must be minimum USD400 and one day off every week. So if a maid goes on home leave, we have to up her salary to USD400? Agencies say that you can tell the maid that we will not follow the contract. But the maid can always bring the contract to the embassy for enforcement?


What are your experiences and views on this?

I hear of pp signing another contract privately superseding the USD400 to bring the salary back to the original agreed amount. I think that's the best way to protect oneself. Verbal can never stand up in court. I would never trust any agency that just rely on 'say' - black and white is king. If the maid would bring that contract to the embassy, I would then produce the latter copy. IN such cases, it'll be the end of the employer/ee relationship - but I won't pay USD400 unless i see that kind of value in that maid's work.

My maid is brought in a year plus ago with POEA (that is this agreement on US400 salary and 1 day off per week). The agency made all parties sign another contract to supersede this POEA when the maid come into Spore. She was a fresh new maid, not renewal case.

[jtoh]

bzmum22:

hquek:

[quote=\"jtoh\"]If a Filipino maid goes on home leave, she'll need to get paperwork done at the embassy right? One of which is a contract which states that her salary must be minimum USD400 and one day off every week. So if a maid goes on home leave, we have to up her salary to USD400? Agencies say that you can tell the maid that we will not follow the contract. But the maid can always bring the contract to the embassy for enforcement?


What are your experiences and views on this?

I hear of pp signing another contract privately superseding the USD400 to bring the salary back to the original agreed amount. I think that's the best way to protect oneself. Verbal can never stand up in court. I would never trust any agency that just rely on 'say' - black and white is king. If the maid would bring that contract to the embassy, I would then produce the latter copy. IN such cases, it'll be the end of the employer/ee relationship - but I won't pay USD400 unless i see that kind of value in that maid's work.

My maid is brought in a year plus ago with POEA (that is this agreement on US400 salary and 1 day off per week). The agency made all parties sign another contract to supersede this POEA when the maid come into Spore. She was a fresh new maid, not renewal case.[/quote]Thanks for the info, bzmum and hquek.

[jtoh]

For the shortage of maids coming out of Philippines, is it because the maids don’t want to come to Singapore or because the Filipino govt is making it difficult for them to come out?

[MrsSeah]

gumiho:

Glad that all of you has such an understanding maid.


I merely told our maid to pay for the airfare ($162) and she refused.

I hold my maid salary of $500 previously too.

I couldn't understand why she unwilling to let you hold her money unless she had plan not to come back. :roll:

You will return her when she is back right?

[ElasticGirl]

Seems the $500 is no deterent if maid wants to take off and not return to work. I kept $500 from my Filipino maid when we allowed her early home leave to celebrate her father’s birthday.

We had purchaesd return airtickets, loaned her our luggage and gave gifts to her family.
she did not turn up at the airport on the date of return.
We felt so cheated !

[shine_fs]

ElasticGirl:

Seems the $500 is no deterent if maid wants to take off and not return to work. I kept $500 from my Filipino maid when we allowed her early home leave to celebrate her father's birthday.

We had purchaesd return airtickets, loaned her our luggage and gave gifts to her family.
she did not turn up at the airport on the date of return.
We felt so cheated !

hmm.....actually all by luck lor....if not hold S$1K?

[gumiho]

MrsSeah:

gumiho:

Glad that all of you has such an understanding maid.


I merely told our maid to pay for the airfare ($162) and she refused.

I hold my maid salary of $500 previously too.

I couldn't understand why she unwilling to let you hold her money unless she had plan not to come back. :roll:

You will return her when she is back right?

I will definitely return the $$ to her. We know it is her hard-earned $$.

We had a heart to heart discussion last night.
She told me the reason why she resisted in deposit her salary with us. According to her, 2 of her friends (staying in our neighbourhood) told her that their employers did not retain their $$ when they went for home leave. Therefore, she is puzzle why we have to. Well.... Her maid agency had explained to her and she had understand.

However, our friends are advising us not to renew the contract with our current maid because she had been influenced by her so-called friends because we wouldn't know after she officially go for her off day will there be new problems popping out again.

I'm in a dilemma. May I have your advise ?

[mama_g]

hi gumiho, maybe u should consider stop ur maid talking to those ‘neighbourhood maids’ … appears to be those ‘ring leader’ with bad influence??

[gumiho]

Maid Salary are getting more and more ridiculous.


I just contacted a maid agency who specialist in Indonesian Maid. According to them, w.e.f 01 Apr 11 onwards Indon maid salary will be revised to as follow.

Fresh Maid - $430 + $20 (off day)
Experience Maid - $490 + $20 (off day)

Maid Agency Fee - $788.00
Maid Loan - 9 months

[jtoh]

If a maid hasn’t completed her 2 year contract and she goes on home leave, do we need to sign the Philippines Embassy contract? The one that says minimum pay is $600 etc?