Who pay the air ticket of domestic helper?

[Hard Truth]

Dnls_mum:

verykiasu2010:

[quote=\"Dnls_mum\"]So long as maid acknowledge receipt of salary, she can use her salary to buy her own ticket back. Otherwise don't go back. Most who want to go back early will be willing to pay it. Agent tells them all the time that they have to pay if they don't finish 2 yrs.


Frankly, MOM doesn't care who pay. The clause is there to make sure that Singapore don't stuck with maid who cannot afford to pay and squat here. In problem situation they will use clause to make employer pay for repatriation. If other instances they can't be bothered so long as the maid goes back.

that is probably the case

you think MOM so free come and check who pay for the repatriation air ticket ? they probably just scheming up new regulation to \"strangle\" employers to make themselves look good in front of ILO in Geneva

Haha...agree. They just want to please NGOs and human rights group.[/quote]
Thanks to both your input. Makes sense that this is the way to go.

Dnls_mum: What is the worst case scenario for you in the case that you have shared on the Burmese maid that you sent back? If the Singaporean Aunty or Pastor complained to MOM do we just pay the cost of the ticket back to the maid?

[Dnls_mum]

Hard Truth:

Thanks to both your input. Makes sense that this is the way to go.

Dnls_mum: What is the worst case scenario for you in the case that you have shared on the Burmese maid that you sent back? If the Singaporean Aunty or Pastor complained to MOM do we just pay the cost of the ticket back to the maid?

Actually, for that case, I paid for her ticket. She has no money, only $20 per month for 4 mths. She still owe me one last mth of salary since I repaid her loan to her agent already. I could not bring myself to take her $80 as I was afraid she'll still need to get home from airport. But good thing she stayed in or near Yangon I think. So in the end I really bo hua. But I just cannot tolerate been made use off so I rather just spend the money.

Actually the aunty did complain to agent but agent say is employer's right. Don't think MOM will bother. I can always take out her CV to show MOM that it is fake!

But I had another indon maid. Work with me about 3.5 yrs, but when time for last checkup, says she don't want to go check up and just want to go home. :yikes: In the end I find out she running downstairs every night to rendezvous with my condo security supervisor. Yes...I very blur, maid not in her room every night also dunno. I so angry, originally was prepared to pay for her to go back since her second contract almost up, but in the end, just told her i will deduct her pay for the air ticket, she agreed and I send her back. Nothing happened to me.

Just for the record, I not always so suay. Current maid more than 4.5 years, in her 3rd contract already. :xedfingers:

[daranic]

I made all the maids who didn’t complete the 2 yrs contract with me - good or bad.


After 1 incident with my 1st Indo maid who stole at the mall next to my house when I granted her off during CNY out of goodwill. Got a call from the police that she is arrested and was held in the police station. Decided not to bail her out but left her few days in the station. When she was away, I checked her bags. Gosh! Lots of stuff taken from my house and $100 from my mum (she went to the $ changer next door to change it to Rupiah) without my knowing. After the fine ($800, and we made her pay for it herself), we paid for her ticket and sent her back (on the advice of the agent). Was ignorant then, should have made her pay for her own ticket since it was her own doing for not completing her contract.

So after this case, I learnt to be smart. You want to break contract and go home? YOU PAY FOR YOUR OWN TICKET.

Another case was a Myanmar maid. Before she came to work for me, I found a note in Burmese lang slipped under my main door (and I am staying in a condo with security guard, can imagine how the relative can make her way in?). Was very surprised cos she was not even here in SG and already her contact is so wide.

Then we realised it’s her cousin who is studying in SG SIM (some hospitality and tourism course), see how clever they are to track down their country people. And this maid’s cousin would visit her at my place every few weeks, talked at the main door for hours. I closed an eye since I thought they are family.

Few months after she cleared her loans, her cousin called to ask if my maid can go on off and spend a day with her. That’s when my patience ran dry. I told her cousin, "Your cousin is not supposed to have any off. I do not want you to come over to my place anymore. If you have anything to pass to my maid, I will meet you outside.". So every month she will call me and pass me bags of food (as if I did not provide her enough food), bags, clothes, medicine to her cousin.

The cousin tried to get my maid out another time with reason that her (the cousin’s) parents were here, and she would like my maid to meet up with her aunt. Still, I said no and the cousin started to argue why cannot. So I called the agent and they agreed I need not grant her the off.

This maid has been telling me she wanted to be transferred just months before she was a year with me (and after finishing her loan). I told her no, why should I? Then one morning, she refused to wake up. Luckily I happened to be up early else my kids would be late for school. From that day, she refused to do anything in my house, just stayed in the room. I told her, "Fine, since you want to leave, you pay for your own ticket." I wrote an agreement and made her signed it. Serioulsy, they are just here for a holiday, she signed without blinking an eye. So I bought a Jetstar ticket without luggage for her (that time I genuinely didn’t know that luggage has to be paid separately. I bought the cheapest air ticket available). Hahhaah… since she has been recevining lots of clothes, bags and stuff from her cousin, she has 2 big bags to bring home.

At the airport, the officer weighed her bags and asked her to pay $80! She turned around and looked at me not understanding what the officer meant. I told her, "You have to pay for your luggage." So she bo bian took out the money (whatever left after deducting the air ticket) I have given her and paid for it unwillingly. Hahaha… The feeling was very shiok!

[peapot]

Daranic, good for you. For experienced maid it would be difficult to do it this way because they know their rights. Like my current experienced maid of ex-sin 7 years knows employer must pay for the air ticket.


I think now it’s cheaper to hire Philip maid. I always feel Myanmar maid cannot make it.

[peapot]

I wonder next year would there be more problems with weekly off.

[daranic]

peapot:

I wonder next year would there be more problems with weekly off.

I expected it to be. Since they will be more street smart and learn the rope from their friends, they will return back with more demands and bargains.

[Hard Truth]

POA Teacher:

Hard Truth:

I agree that the maid should be made to bear the cost of the air ticket if she choses to break the contract.


We have to bear the cost of the insurance and other incidental expenses that come with hiring the maid (I May it is another $75 more if it is a new maid).

Has someone ever written a contact to be sign by the maid on day one when we take her from the agent? This contract could include the paying of air fare etc?

Or do we just do it verbally like what verykiasu2010 suggested. Would something written help us?

Heard that there were some case of a maid who went back under such circumstances then complained to the agent that the employer made her pay the air ticket home. Heard something like wanting to complain to MOM on this (Must have been taught by someone to try it)

The maid should bear the cost ... is there anything we can do...to make it easier on us .......anyone with some experience on this?

Sorry, you can think of whatever ways and means you like to get the maid to pay, but the employer is still liable for the airfare home. That is standard requirement: employer pays for airfare to nearest airport to her home.

But MOM may be coming up with some changes later in the year regarding airfares in certain circumstances, and medical expenses.

If all the employers make the maid pay for their own ticket back home whenever the maid violate or break the contract, do you think MOM will do whatever they want to do on all the employers? Anybody knows how many maid employers there are currently?

Still waiting for MOM to come up with some pro - employer procedures??
Hasn't MOM done enough damage already each time they come up with some more regulations for employers?

[verykiasu2010]

MOM = Ministry of Maids not for nothing

[Dnls_mum]

verykiasu2010:

MOM = Ministry of Maids not for nothing

:rotflmao: