This article was originally on GET.com at: 5 Reasons Why Singaporeans May Not Like The Idea Of Live-Out Maids
We’re all so accustomed to the idea of having our domestic maids live under the same roof as us, aren’t we? I don’t know how feasible it would be if the Indonesian authorities got their way with wanting maids to stop being live-ins, and how it’ll ultimately affect Singaporeans who pay good money to employ helpers to ease their domestic burdens. According to this piece of fresh news, Singaporeans who employ maids are antsy about Indonesia’s recent declaration to have Indonesian maids live separately from their employers – a complete contradiction of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act that illustrates that ‘foreign domestic workers must live with their employers at the addresses stated on their work permits’.
Indonesian authorities put forth that this move is supposed to protect the Indonesian domestic workers’ welfare and in exchange, they’ll seek to formalise these helpers’ training so that they’ll be better trained in areas like cooking, eldercare and childcare. Well, we at GET.com will share with you 5 reasons why Singaporeans may not be keen on the idea of live-out maids.
5 Reasons Why Singaporeans May Not Like The Idea Of Live-Out Maids
1. Heightened Inconvenience For Both Employers And Helpers
People hire domestic helpers to help take a burden off their shoulders whether it be cooking, cleaning or taking care of the young and old at home. When the domestic helpers whom we hire can’t be there when we need them especially in times of emergencies at home, who are we supposed to turn to?
From the helpers’ perspectives, I would imagine it to be a lot more troublesome for them since they’ll have to travel to and fro wherever they’ll be living at to their workplace. The time wasted on commuting could have been spent catching up on sleep or exercising as a matter of fact.
Plus, we don’t know when the public transportation system is going to break down or cause delays, do we?
2. Some Employers Treat Their Helpers As Family
Extending from the point above, some employers genuinely care for their domestic helpers and treat them like their own blood-related family. I have a friend my age (24, that is) who’s grown up with the same helper since she was born. They have forged such a close, fulfilling relationship that some biological parent-child pairs would be secretly envious of.
For such cases, helpers and employers may feel more at ease if they’re living under the same roof so that both parties can look out for each other.
3. The Cost Of Hiring Indonesian Helpers May Creep Up
Will Singaporean employers have to shoulder these new Indonesian maids’ lodging, daily commuting and meal costs if their helpers do not live with them?
If the answer is yes, would it be more cost effective for Singaporeans to hire local hourly helpers instead or maids from other neighbouring countries like Myanmar and the Philippines? That’s for us to find out in due time, so take heart that we have options.
4. Increased Strain On Our Public Transport System
According to the news, there are approximately 125,000 Indonesian maids employed in Singapore currently.
Though this new initiative in discussion applies for only new Indonesian domestic helpers looking to work here in Singapore, we do not know exactly how many much more will our public transport system be strained to have a sizeable number of people squeezing with us on already jam-packed trains and buses.
Similar to what we’ve recently shared about our two cents’ worth on car-lite Singapore, having domestic helpers squeeze with the rest of the working population during peak hours isn’t going to help improve our quality of life at all. Neither will it improve theirs if they have to go to work via the same platforms as us commoners.
5. Live-Out Maids Have Higher Chances Of Being Led Astray
If they were to live elsewhere, who knows what they’ll be up to after work hours, if they’ll mix with bad company and whether they will put their own livelihood and lives at risk by moonlighting or getting pregnant?
I’m sure time-strapped employers wouldn’t want to be kept on their toes all the time, needing to put in the extra time and effort to ensure that their helpers remain dutiful and responsible.
The Notion Of Singaporean Employers Being The Bully Is An Unfair Generalisation
As well-intentioned as the Indonesian authorities’ concerns may be, not all employers are errant, demeaning or nasty.
Besides, there have been plenty of cases where Indonesian maids have abused or even killed their employers or their employers’ elderly parents or little ones. It is certainly unfair to just make sweeping statements that slap Singaporean employers with such accusations in general.
Also, everybody would have worked overtime at some point in their working life, it’s just part and parcel of work. Not everyone, Singaporeans included, get compensation for all those extra hours slogged.
Source: https://sg.finance.yahoo.com
