Should maids be given a day off every week?

[Happy Mama]

bigsnoopy:

And she is stupid enough to put ur no. On the bio data.

Hahaha! I told the potential employer the entire truth and left it to her to decide if she wanted her.

Guess what? Of course she said she'll never hire such a great liar!

Oh yes, can you imagine my ex-maid has even gone to the potential employer's apartment for interview during her off-day? :yikes:

I felt like a fool to be kept in the dark and to trust her when she told me her reason for leaving was because she wanted to work overseas for greater exposure and salary! We almost bought her a winter coat! :mad:

[3Boys]

What on earth is wrong you some of you? Can’t have a discussion without being sarcastic or making things personal? Yah, so I am persistent and annoying to you, but I stick with the issues.


Sheesh!

[Flower Power]

verykiasu2010:

these days it is the employers who are exploited by the maids and the agencies


out of the few hundred thousand maids in singapore, how many are abused and work round the clock ?

have some sense of proportion first

I totally agree on this. Our maids system here seems to be penalising heavily on employers. In addition to paying hundreds of dollars for agency fees, insurance, runaway bond etc, we have to pay a few thousand dollars of upfront loan for the maid. Finally the maid is here, she can come to your home for just one day and tell you the next day she wants to go back to agency. Tell me, what can the employer do? In reality nothing much if she really wants to do so. The maids now know they can make use of our system and also use the employer to first bring them into Singapore. Then they ask for a transfer to slowly select their preferred employers face-to-face once they get back to the agency. Now that they are already in Singapore, the world is theirs :rahrah:

Nowadays fresh or EX-SIN equally \"bad\". Fresh ones with zero experience, dont know how to do any household chores also \"ga-ga\" come to SG and earn strong SGD (S$400-450). EX-SIN worse, think that they now have a couple of years exp in SG so can demand this and that and also want top salary. Unfortunately, their no. of years in SG does not equate to that they being good in their chores. I totally agree that this industry is truely rotten. Why does MOM appears to be oblivious of such ill practices?!

[verykiasu2010]

1amber:

The most urgent policy is to regulate MAID AGENCIES. Stop this transfer policy, make them resposible for bringing maids that are properly trained. Stop passing the buck to employers.

heard that many of the maid agencies are owned by u-know-who

that will be the last thing they do

go on dreaming :evil: :evil:

[3Boys]

SMH FOREST:

How MANY? It is more than you think im sure! Look at the service industry alone... how many people are working on wkends?? Check out showflats, expo fairs, hotels, retail industry, leisure industry, food industry... and many many more people who travel for work... single parents etc.

Make these employers the exception? Why must it be them who are the exception and NOT others like you, the able employer who can afford off days, the exception?

I am not for such policy making, always thinking of the PERFECT scenario, when life is not so rosy and picture perfect for many other households. These are households that already have issues on the \"normal wkends\" for regular people, so why make it a further stress for them and have them be EXEMPTED from the so called law and policy that you recommend? And how to implement exception? Make them go to Meet the People session and ask MP to write letter to MOM... and then MOM have the discretion to decide to approve or not?? Com'on... the perfect household that can afford off days have it easy... pls make life easier for these families who are under your so-called exception...

Completely DISagree with you.

The caregivers in our parent's day had far less resources at their disposal than we do today. Up till now, the number of households with maids is the MINORITY of Singaporean households, and I bet they are over-represented by the less well off.

Are they better able to manage the weekends and off times than others? They are as busy as anyone else, probably with lesser flexibility with hours. How many of those cashiers at NTUC, those manning stalls on weekends, cooks, have their own live in maids? A MINORITY, I bet, and they manage, don't they?

We have gotten so used to having a person waiting hand and foot that we have forgotten how to work schedules, do with less and compromise. That is the whole issue.

The number of households with live-in-maids in Singapore is in the minority, and the proportion of those who require 7-day a week cover, an even smaller minority still.

[jtoh]

Happy Mama:

bigsnoopy:

And she is stupid enough to put ur no. On the bio data.

Hahaha! I told the potential employer the entire truth and left it to her to decide if she wanted her.

Guess what? Of course she said she'll never hire such a great liar!

Oh yes, can you imagine my ex-maid has even gone to the potential employer's apartment for interview during her off-day? :yikes:

I felt like a fool to be kept in the dark and to trust her when she told me her reason for leaving was because she wanted to work overseas for greater exposure and salary! We almost bought her a winter coat! :mad:

Wow! She was lying to you and the prospective employer. Scary!

[verykiasu2010]

jtoh:

Wow! She was lying to you and the prospective employer. Scary!

the truth is grim !

[3Boys]

Flower Power:

verykiasu2010:

these days it is the employers who are exploited by the maids and the agencies


out of the few hundred thousand maids in singapore, how many are abused and work round the clock ?

have some sense of proportion first

I totally agree on this. Our maids system here seems to be penalising heavily on employers. In addition to paying hundreds of dollars for agency fees, insurance, runaway bond etc, we have to pay a few thousand dollars of upfront loan for the maid. Finally the maid is here, she can come to your home for just one day and tell you the next day she wants to go back to agency. Tell me, what can the employer do? In reality nothing much if she really wants to do so. The maids now know they can make use of our system and also use the employer to first bring them into Singapore. Then they ask for a transfer to slowly select their preferred employers face-to-face once they get back to the agency. Now that they are already in Singapore, the world is theirs :rahrah:

Nowadays fresh or EX-SIN equally \"bad\". Fresh ones with zero experience, dont know how to do any household chores also \"ga-ga\" come to SG and earn strong SGD (S$400-450). EX-SIN worse, think that they now have a couple of years exp in SG so can demand this and that and also want top salary. Unfortunately, their no. of years in SG does not equate to that they being good in their chores. I totally agree that this industry is truely rotten. Why does MOM appears to be oblivious of such ill practices?!

I would find the whole notion of us Singaporeans, educated, intelligent and sitting atop the Asian food chain, crushed under the heels of domestic workers and unscrupulous agencies, to be SOOOO funny, if it weren't so SAD that people actually believe it.

Gimme a break! Where does the balance of power lie? You die die must have a maid, that you are willing to endure hell and highwater? Your husband and kids can't chip in with housework, you can't uncomplicate your life by shedding some enrichment classes on the weekend?

I mean, no one can FORCE you to have a maid if you don't want to, right? Like 80% of Singaporean households who do not. This is the sense of proportion, that we need to get to.

[verykiasu2010]

and U give us a break too ! and who are you to tell us we do not need a maid ?? u are not my father

[tigger88]

chill everyone…


This is a public forum and everyone should voice their opinion objectively. Please do not make things too personal ok?