Days off for maid

[peapot]

Though we are not responsible for the bond now but we still need to pay the air ticket home and pay for replacement cost with maid agency and pay new insurance is she has worked for more than 8 months. The maid should be paying for all these then they can off every Sunday, who cares.

[Lynn2010]

I give my maid once a week off (I enjoy my once a week privacy) I set my rules right from the start and remind her now and then. She can go out anytime in the morning on Sundays and back by 8.30pm (she’s usually back much early)


I set my rules, i told her -
1. If she’s pregnant, i send her back immediately. She will lose out, no jobs and pregnant and back in Phil. I told her that "Dont be stupid", if the guy is serious about her, the guy will not want to get her into trouble"
2. She can have a boyfriend (heh, we are all humans). But she cannot get pregnant. If she wants to get married. I will give her my blessings but she must tell me first and i will release her.
3. She is not allowed to bring any one back to my home, regardless male or female. I may not know or see BUT truth always stands and neighbours may see and tell me.

Other rules like
- if found to steal, NO 2nd chance. "I dont believe in second chance because i already warn you now". "I will report to police, blacklist you in MOM, and you can never come back to Singapore ever again".

So far so good, it works for all my maids (fingers cross).

[Chu Liu Xiang]

Hi All


Please take note of MOM's requirement for day-off

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.

You can download the pdf file from MOM website.

The new maid salary for Filo & Indo is now on par at $400. Generally, Filo maids would like to have a day-off while many Indo maids do not want the day-off. For these Indo maids their salary would then be $420 (i.e. $20 to compensate for their day-off)

:xedfingers:

[beanstalk]

I am not sure what your point is?


MOM does not stipulate any day off. The text quoted merely says employers are to comply with the contract agreed upon.

So if the employer/employee agree on a "no-day off" in the contract, the employer is complying with ‘regulations’. The contract is drawn up based on the needs of both the employer and employee. Some employers need help almost 24/7; some employees don’t want to leave the house. Every pair is different.

In general, market forces will iron out the less ideal employers. There are no regulations to force employers to give more salary, days off etc but if they are not aware of market conditions, they will simply lose their helper to someone else. That’s all.

[Chu Liu Xiang]

beanstalk:

I am not sure what your point is?


MOM does not stipulate any day off. The text quoted merely says employers are to comply with the contract agreed upon.

So if the employer/employee agree on a \"no-day off\" in the contract, the employer is complying with 'regulations'. The contract is drawn up based on the needs of both the employer and employee. Some employers need help almost 24/7; some employees don't want to leave the house. Every pair is different.

In general, market forces will iron out the less ideal employers. There are no regulations to force employers to give more salary, days off etc but if they are not aware of market conditions, they will simply lose their helper to someone else. That's all.

Chapter 91A Part 1 says 'TO BE COMPLIED WITH BY EMPLOYERS'

MOM will go after you (NOT THE AGENT/AGENCY) if anything wrong arises from its non-compliance

Can you read clause 11b) and say whether MOM stipulates it or not - the meaning of employer.......shall grant.........rest-day(s)?

The word 'shall' is mandatory in official documents

No day-off is covered under Clause 8


:xedfingers:

[verykiasu2010]

c’mon, rest day is not the same as going out; rest day means can rest at home


many maids just refused to go out because going out means spending money and getting more tired

the MOM clause says "rest day according to the employment contract"…not day of getting out of the house

too many people fighting for the maid’s "rights" getting too fixated on days going out

to the FDW, their place of work is also their place of rest / residence

[LOLMum]

if i am the maid, i wont want to stay at home on my day off. to save money and have a rest, i would go to the library. free air-cond, comfortable seat for a few winks, clean toilet. pay membership fee for a year and can borrow books, video to watch there.


at least library is a bigger space than the tiny room (worse if got to share with kids).

[verykiasu2010]

LOLMum:

if i am the maid, i wont want to stay at home on my day off. to save money and have a rest, i would go to the library. free air-cond, comfortable seat for a few winks, clean toilet. pay membership fee for a year and can borrow books, video to watch there.


at least library is a bigger space than the tiny room (worse if got to share with kids).

agreed. if only you were my maid ! sigh :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

the question is rest day, which can be in many forms and manner, and some off days become even more tired ..... tsk tsk

[Chu Liu Xiang]

verykiasu2010:

c'mon, rest day is not the same as going out; rest day means can rest at home


many maids just refused to go out because going out means spending money and getting more tired

the MOM clause says \"rest day according to the employment contract\"......not day of getting out of the house

too many people fighting for the maid's \"rights\" getting too fixated on days going out

to the FDW, their place of work is also their place of rest / residence

I believe rest day is use interchangeably as day-off otherwise if you specify day-off in the contract then what about rest day in MOM requirements? Are you also going to specify rest day(s) in the contract too in order to comply with MOM reuirements?

Generally, the more sociable Filo maids would prefer day-off(s) over the Indo maids.

The first thing Clause 11 states is that an employment contract is required between the employer and maid. Follow up Clause 11 states that rest day(s) SHALL be specifed in accordance to the employment contract. Which means a minimum of 1 rest day needs to be specified into the contract as per MOM's Clause 11

If no rest day is specified in the contract then it shall follow Clause 8

I reiterate, Chapter 91A Part 1 shall be complied with by the employer of FDW

:xedfingers:

[verykiasu2010]

the problem lies with people who champion for the "rights" of the maids who insist that "rest" must not take place at the place of work (which is also the rest place of the maid at the end of the day), hence must get out of the house, which some maids just refused to get out.


in this aspect I think Hong Kong has a better environment as many of the maids do not live-in, so they can do whatever they like once they get out from their work place

so they get higher pay to pay for their own accommodation (zero sum game)