Maid issue : MOM came & took maid away
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:39 pm
Today, 3 Ministry of Manpower officers came to my house and bring away my maid, causing much inconvenience just because my maid don’t feel like to work for me. Just this simple reason. Did they try to mediate between us (my maid and me)? No and the reason they gave is since the maid don’t feel like to work for us, we cannot force her and have to let her go with the help from MOM. There is no counseling, no mediation, no explanation from us, simply listen and follow the maid wishes with backing from MOM, we have to let her go…that’s simple.
Did the MOM think for me? I have 2 young children, 1 eight yrs old and the other 5 yrs old. Who have to make arrangement for them without the maid? I have. If that’s the case, don’t always urge us to give birth to babies and yet, help is so vulnerable…maid says don’t want to work and immediately go to agency, leaving us to think how to cope and manage….is this fair to us? Does the miserable baby bonus help us to take care of all these? No and luckily, I only have 2 children and decided to stop…it will be worse if I have 3 or more children…coping work and family is no joke.
Although my maid suppose to care for my 2 children, she still need my help and until now, 13 months with us, the maid never once cook a full meal for me or my children. I still have to cook for her.
The funny part is under the work permit act, even if my maid is the one requesting for a transfer, I have to bear her accommodation, meal and levy at full cost before she transfer. If she requests to go home before her 2-year contract is up, we also have to bear the air ticket for her, according to work permit act. What if we sign 2 year contract with a company, we will need to be penalized if we leave earlier than the contact. Why maid is so protected???? Do not need to fulfil the 2 years contract and at point, she has the right to call it quit without any penalty, cost and serving notice period!!!!!! If there is such a company, please recommend to me and I will jump into it without fail…..
If every maid like her, I will be very busy. I asked the officers, MOM discourages us to change maid frequently – too frequent, we need to be interviewed. If maid complains to MOM and asked for a transfer, we are also being questioned. What is the protection for us, employers?
I asked the agency. For the new maid, I have to pay a salary increase of more than 10% for a fresh maid with no experience, in addition to insurance and agency fee. In addition, we have to train them at least 6 months. As a professional working in the society, my yearly increment is only 3% to 5%, worse than a maid and if I change a job, I will be expected to perform immediately. So, why maid has such a privilege. Are we Singapore citizen better off than foreign labor? No, even if we don’t like to work in a company, we still require to provide notice period but maid don’t need, a word and she can go…..
If maid salary increases at such a high rate, we should expect a better quality maid. Yet, the maid we hire is getting worse and worse and we pay more and more…..Is there fairness? If the maid is paid that high, at least she must produce a certain quality standard…who set the standard? Nobody!!! The quality of maid we hire over the years are getting worse and worse.
What is our protection as an employer? How MOM protect us? Is there a balance between the maid and us? I write in to voice my feedback and my disappointment on the how the whole issue is resolved.
Did the MOM think for me? I have 2 young children, 1 eight yrs old and the other 5 yrs old. Who have to make arrangement for them without the maid? I have. If that’s the case, don’t always urge us to give birth to babies and yet, help is so vulnerable…maid says don’t want to work and immediately go to agency, leaving us to think how to cope and manage….is this fair to us? Does the miserable baby bonus help us to take care of all these? No and luckily, I only have 2 children and decided to stop…it will be worse if I have 3 or more children…coping work and family is no joke.
Although my maid suppose to care for my 2 children, she still need my help and until now, 13 months with us, the maid never once cook a full meal for me or my children. I still have to cook for her.
The funny part is under the work permit act, even if my maid is the one requesting for a transfer, I have to bear her accommodation, meal and levy at full cost before she transfer. If she requests to go home before her 2-year contract is up, we also have to bear the air ticket for her, according to work permit act. What if we sign 2 year contract with a company, we will need to be penalized if we leave earlier than the contact. Why maid is so protected???? Do not need to fulfil the 2 years contract and at point, she has the right to call it quit without any penalty, cost and serving notice period!!!!!! If there is such a company, please recommend to me and I will jump into it without fail…..
If every maid like her, I will be very busy. I asked the officers, MOM discourages us to change maid frequently – too frequent, we need to be interviewed. If maid complains to MOM and asked for a transfer, we are also being questioned. What is the protection for us, employers?
I asked the agency. For the new maid, I have to pay a salary increase of more than 10% for a fresh maid with no experience, in addition to insurance and agency fee. In addition, we have to train them at least 6 months. As a professional working in the society, my yearly increment is only 3% to 5%, worse than a maid and if I change a job, I will be expected to perform immediately. So, why maid has such a privilege. Are we Singapore citizen better off than foreign labor? No, even if we don’t like to work in a company, we still require to provide notice period but maid don’t need, a word and she can go…..
If maid salary increases at such a high rate, we should expect a better quality maid. Yet, the maid we hire is getting worse and worse and we pay more and more…..Is there fairness? If the maid is paid that high, at least she must produce a certain quality standard…who set the standard? Nobody!!! The quality of maid we hire over the years are getting worse and worse.
What is our protection as an employer? How MOM protect us? Is there a balance between the maid and us? I write in to voice my feedback and my disappointment on the how the whole issue is resolved.