All About Full-Time Maids
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KSmom8:
Unless she's an experienced maid otherwise for a new maid I would say no. I think some employers were conned because of the recent 16 agencies' case which took a long time to close. As a result the $450+ salary issue for a new Indo maid was floating around for quite some time. I was approached on this issue recently and my advice to the other party is to get an Indo maid from another agency.Yesterday's Straits Times mentioned that the market rate salary for Indonesian maids is $420 to $500. Is this information reliable and realisitc?
Know of 1 person who is waiting for her Philipina maid to arrive. Salary is $410 or $420. I thought Philipina maid's salary higher than Indonesian?
Ask yourself. If the issue is true then what do you think would happen to those existing Indo maids here? I believe you would see a mass runaway or going home cases. Mind you news do spread fast in the maid community.
In reading yesterday's paper and the news below
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/foreign-maids-snubbing-singapore-094006726.html?bcmt=1318130149966-4ce52128-9792-4432-b8aa-d52cbab2f493#ugccmt-container-b
They are always make comparison on only the issue of higher salary, day-off and nothing else and they would paint a very bad picture of our employers, our system and S'pore as a whole all in the aim of increasing the Indo maids' salary. They wouldn't dare to compare in terms of the EMPLOYMENT PACKAGE instead. As for day-off(s) or no day-off with compensation it'll be stated in the employment contract between the employer and maid as willing parties.
Our system and S'pore have strengths that other countries do not have and vice versa.
There's no official wording on the Indo gov to our gov on wanting a minimum salary for their maids. This issue was recently clarified in the papers by the Indo gov that what they wanted is to set up representative office here for helping their maids.
Also, if there's really a maid crunch issue our gov would know what to do.
So, please read the media with due care. -
MrsSeah:
My new indo maid is coming in tomorrow. $420 (without off day).
I hope you're aware of the
Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (Chapter 91A)
PART I
CONDITIONS TO BE COMPLIED WITH BY EMPLOYER OF FOREIGN EMPLOYEE WHO IS DOMESTIC WORKER
Clauses
8. Except where the foreign employee is on no-pay leave outside Singapore, the employer shall, regardless of whether there is actual work for the foreign employee, and subject to any written law, pay the foreign employee no less than the fixed salary amount declared in the application for a Work Permit submitted to the Controller.
11. The employer of the foreign employee shall grant the foreign employee —
(a) adequate rest daily; and
(b) rest day(s) in accordance with the terms of the employment contract between them.
:xedfingers: -
KSmom8:
i know of one family who switched to using the washing machine because of the many pails of water the maid used to wash clothes. They used to handwash everything to conserve water.
Probably because we make them do more cleaning than we do!!nms1:
[quote]
With maid my SP bills increase :stompfeet:
I use the washing machine to wash almost everything anyway... so my utilities bill is quite high. However, when I listen whilst she is doing the dishes... :shock: can just hear the running of the tap for a longggg time.[/quote]Actually, I find handwash does not really save much water. Think these days washing machine are quite intelligent. They can be programmed to use a pre-determined amount of water before starting.
The other thing that I find that uses alot of electricity is a dish washer. But the plates are quite clean though. -
Last Wednesday I’ve made an ice cream cake for my daughter 5th birthday (Friday). I keep telling my maid and my children that they cannot touch and cannot eat till Friday. On Friday morning (the actual birthday day) before i went to work, I checked the ice cream cake, it was in order, but as a kiasu mother, once again I told my maid don let the children eat the cake until the birthday celebration. Guess what? When I back from work and open the freezer, I almost fainted, it melted. My maid claimed that she was cleaning the freezer and after that she forgot to switch on the power. I felt so mad and really want to slap her. So, the birthday’s party gone and we got to postpone the celebration to weekend. When I raised my voice to my maid (please let me know if you still can tahan and won raise voice), she keep crying and like maid abuse. I asked her either she get out from my house or stop crying, I already so mad and no energy to take care of her feeling already. 2 days I never talked to her already, if she decided to go, just leave it.
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can someone start a petition to request our govt to scrap off the stupid levy so that we, employers in Singapore can be competitive to other countries’s maid salaries too!
seriously feeling disgusted! i don’t know the exact number of FDW workers in SG but just give it 100,000 FWD x $170.00 (the lower levy amt for those with young kids and elderly). One month MOM can collect $17,000,000!!!
Seriously thinking of all the things govt said, want people to have more kids and etc but help is so minimal! If they can scrap off the levy, we can pay those FDW more, seriously if i have a very good helper, I do not mind to give 600 to 800 a month without the levy! -
happy to be mum:
totally agree with you! My maid has been with me for 4yrs+. I have recently renewed her contract and gave her $100 pay increament. If I do not need to pay the levy, I am most willing to give the $170 to my maid for her good work.can someone start a petition to request our govt to scrap off the stupid levy so that we, employers in Singapore can be competitive to other countries's maid salaries too!
seriously feeling disgusted! i don't know the exact number of FDW workers in SG but just give it 100,000 FWD x $170.00 (the lower levy amt for those with young kids and elderly). One month MOM can collect $17,000,000!!!!
Seriously thinking of all the things govt said, want people to have more kids and etc but help is so minimal! If they can scrap off the levy, we can pay those FDW more, seriously if i have a very good helper, I do not mind to give 600 to 800 a month without the levy! -
Anna Ng:
Last Wednesday I’ve made an ice cream cake for my daughter 5th birthday (Friday). I keep telling my maid and my children that they cannot touch and cannot eat till Friday. On Friday morning (the actual birthday day) before i went to work, I checked the ice cream cake, it was in order, but as a kiasu mother, once again I told my maid don let the children eat the cake until the birthday celebration. Guess what? When I back from work and open the freezer, I almost fainted, it melted. My maid claimed that she was cleaning the freezer and after that she forgot to switch on the power. I felt so mad and really want to slap her. So, the birthday’s party gone and we got to postpone the celebration to weekend. When I raised my voice to my maid (please let me know if you still can tahan and won raise voice), she keep crying and like maid abuse. I asked her either she get out from my house or stop crying, I already so mad and no energy to take care of her feeling already. 2 days I never talked to her already, if she decided to go, just leave it.
I will be damn pissed too if I were you. Hope you have cooled down by now. Maybe she is still new and really forgot about switching on the power after cleaning the freezer? -
happy to be mum:
The levy for 200 000+ maids collected on the average per year is $500+ millions.can someone start a petition to request our govt to scrap off the stupid levy so that we, employers in Singapore can be competitive to other countries's maid salaries too!
seriously feeling disgusted! i don't know the exact number of FDW workers in SG but just give it 100,000 FWD x $170.00 (the lower levy amt for those with young kids and elderly). One month MOM can collect $17,000,000!!!!
Seriously thinking of all the things govt said, want people to have more kids and etc but help is so minimal! If they can scrap off the levy, we can pay those FDW more, seriously if i have a very good helper, I do not mind to give 600 to 800 a month without the levy!
If you're MOM would you slay the goose that lays the golden eggs? If they want to they would have done it long time back even without employers' petitioning.
Remember. HK/Taiwan are paying experienced maids starting salary of $600 - $800.
So you want to pay the same as HK/Taiwan? Then are you not going to get an experienced maid or are you going to pay that amount for a new fresh maid? What about her upfront loan? Are you going to pay that for her too for FREE without salary deduction like in some countries or ask her to pay herself in full upfront before employing her like in HK/Taiwan? Does that means S'pore would have no inexperienced maids since at that salary range employers expect to get good quality experienced maids?
Newspapers and internet news these 2 days talked of these comparative salaries from HK/Taiwan besides issues like day-off(s), upfront loan, English-entry test etc. IMO, the reports (by NGO, foreign newspaper reporter etc) are bias especially in favor of Indo maids. They only discussed the issues I mentioned and nothing more. S'pore have many strengths in the maid system like in other countries and vice versa. Bear in mind NO country would adopt the very best of all the other countries and implement into their
system.
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111010-0000030/Competition-watchdog-should-not-act-against-agencies--NGO
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/foreign-maids-snubbing-singapore-094006726.html?bcmt=1318130149966-4ce52128-9792-4432-b8aa-d52cbab2f493
Just beware of these bias media reports.
If MOM scarps off the levy then we'll be like HK/Taiwan. Just imagine the 3 of us (S'pore/HK/Taiwan) competing against one another for the limited pool of experienced maids at that salary range.
I guarantee, in no time, maid salary will escalate again once the maids come to know of it and probably more maid-hoppings too. Employers are already losers and will lose more too if maid salary goes up.
Even if the levy would to be scrapped how many employers are willing to totally pass over the levy to as the maid's salary? Is MOM going to mandate this too? Nope, because our system does not specify a minimum maid salary. There's no stopping for an employer to pay more to her maid and neither not paying FREE for her upfront loan. If you can and willing why not? But how many employers can and willing?
After the levy then more off-days(s), scrap of the English entry test, PR status for maids etc etc. Notice are we not moving towards HK/Taiwan style system? Isn't these what the NGOs, maid sympathizers, maid champions, maid saviors etc want - the very best to be incorporated into our system?
The cycle never ends.
:xedfingers: -
Actually the levy is not an issue, you get the $170 back from tax relief. Mummies, you are not aware? You get it back when you file for tax relief. Normally you get relief from your earned income. It’s $4080 for 2 years. It seems like some of may not be claiming for this, that’s why you raise the alarm. Go check out and make sure u claim for it.
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Btw this was mentioned before in the earlier post, think it was last year? Some of u might have missed the posts.
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