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Tag: maids

  • Maids Should Be Protected Under The Employment Act

    Maids Should Be Protected Under The Employment Act

    We thank Mr Leonard Poh for his feedback in “To promote domestic workers’ welfare, share anecdotes, best practices” (March 13).

    Our study was conducted based on a sample of respondents stratified to reflect the major populations of migrant domestic workers here as indicated by published numbers. Statistical differences were tested using parametric and non-parametric techniques.

    Statistical relationships were also examined with correlation and regression analyses. From our calculations, we concluded that 670 respondents were sufficient to achieve statistical significance in our results.

    HOME acknowledges that in the 10 years we have been campaigning for migrant domestic workers, there have been improvements in their welfare and rights. Still, we have a long way to go in ensuring equal rights and adequate protections for them.

    For example, our respondents worked an average of 13 hours a day, with 10 per cent found to sleep in the kitchen, living room or bomb shelter. More than half did not even have a copy of their contracts on them.

    Positive mental health can happen only when employers respect their employees’ privacy and give them regular time off and rest days. However, domestic workers should not have to depend on the goodwill of employers to enjoy basic rights.

    The Manpower Ministry should include them in the Employment Act so benefits such as sick leave, public holidays and limits on working hours are not left to employers to decide.

    If employees in other occupations will not accept the denial of such rights, why should domestic workers be discriminated against in this way?

     

    Jolovan Wham, Executive Director, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Foreign Domestic Workers Have Twice As Likely To Develop Mental Health Problems As Singaporeans

    Foreign Domestic Workers Have Twice As Likely To Develop Mental Health Problems As Singaporeans

    A new study has found that foreign domestic workers (FDW) have double the risk to develop mental health problems as compared to the general Singapore population.

    The study, conducted by Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) and revealed today (March 8) showed that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of the 670 FDWs surveyed, are facing poor mental health.

    This means that more than two in 10 FDW have poor mental health as compared to a study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health in 2010 which showed that at least one in 10 people in Singapore which will be stricken by mental illness in their lifetime.

    Several factors such as working and living conditions proved to be significantly related to impact a FWD’s mental health, said the study.

    “Having sufficient rest, one’s own room to sleep in, a stable social network and adequate nutritional and medical attention are crucial for good mental health in FDWs,” it added.

    The study showed that the most severe symptoms amongst those surveyed were psychoticism – a mental state of “losing contact with reality” which includes symptoms such as hallucinations – depression and interpersonal sensitivity – which means they feel inferior or inadequate as compared to others.

    “There are clear correlations between FDWs’ mental health issues and exploitative, restrictive and/or abusive working and living conditions,” said the study.

    The survey also revealed that more than half (51 per cent) of the participants experienced some form of abusive behaviour such as yelling or screaming and even name-calling.

    The survey was conducted between Nov 2013 and May last year. Almost half (48.1 per cent) of the FDWs surveyed – with an average age of 33 – were from Indonesia and more than a third (34.7 per cent) were from the Philippines. The other nationalities surveyed also include those from Myanmar.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Employment Agencies Call For FDWs To Undergo Professional Training In Singapore

    Employment Agencies Call For FDWs To Undergo Professional Training In Singapore

    Employment agencies in Singapore are calling for domestic workers to undergo professional training here so that they can become skilled workers. This comes after Indonesian President Joko Widodo said last week that the country wants to stop sending its women overseas as maids to preserve the country’s “dignity”.

    Although no time frame for the stoppage has been given, the Indonesian manpower ministry has been ordered to come up with a “clear road map” on when this can take place.

    According to estimates by the Indonesian Embassy, there are about 125,000 Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore. The number accounts for about half of all such workers in the Singapore, say industry players. Hence if Indonesia stops sending its women overseas as maids, employment agencies here say the impact could be bad.

    The president of the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore), Ms K Jayaprema, said that for the employers, “if we were to lose this source, then we will have a very small pool of alternative workers we are looking at now – who come from Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India, and in the Philippines we are having our own set of problems at this point in time.”

    “For the domestic workers themselves, what is going to happen is they’re going to lose whatever protection that they have been receiving from the Indonesian government and they will become undocumented workers. They will continue to come in – because there are just too many exit points which they can freely move in from – we’re looking at Jakarta, we’re looking at Batam and we’re looking at Semarang,” she added.

    The employment agencies added that competing with other countries for a limited pool of domestic workers could also spell higher costs and a longer processing time for employers. The agencies also noted that traditional sources are imposing restrictions to protect their workers. For example, the Philippines plans to introduce a quota system on domestic workers coming to Singapore.

    The agencies said finding alternative sources to hire domestic workers will also be a challenge. The owner of Best Home Employment Agency, Mr Tay Khoon Beng, said: “All the traditional sources of supply are thinking of how to better protect their women. At the moment, for example, Myanmar has a ban on all licensed recruiters to send domestic helpers to Singapore. The Philippines has got a quota system now for Singapore, due to unresolved placement fee issues.

    “For non-traditional sources, it’s very difficult to open up a new market. For example, the Ministry of Manpower has piloted a two-year project on the Cambodian market. In the two years, we are supposed to bring in 600 Cambodian helpers.

    “18 months has passed and the pilot group only managed to bring in about 400 Cambodian workers. And I was told that as high as 50 per cent of these Cambodian workers have either left Singapore or changed employers.

    “So it takes time to open up a new market and employers may not adapt to the new market as well.”

    To mitigate the effects of a potential supply cut, Mr Tay suggested implementing a mandatory professional course for these workers. He said: “For Indonesia specifically, they wish to train their helpers to meet the standard we require before exporting them. However, I also see at the moment, they may have difficulties to train their helpers to meet our standard.

    “So instead of a bottleneck and allowing the ban to happen, why not they continue to export the unskilled helpers to us and we being an education hub will then work out with the employer to upgrade the skill of all these women so that at the end of the contract, they are fully trained, skillful and can go back to being a better skilled person.

    “I think we need employers to understand that this is a new reality. Definitely there will be inconvenience caused to them, in terms of the helpers having to take time off to take courses, and at the same time they have to subsidise many of these skilled courses.”

    Agencies said other issues like high placement fees also need to be addressed. Currently, the placement fee can range from zero to S$3,000 or S$4,000 – which is equivalent to about eight months of a domestic worker’s monthly pay.

    Ms Jayaprema said: “We should only recognise the two-month fees that Singapore agencies are allowed to collect from the domestic workers as service fees. So we do not want to allow any of the source cost to be brought to Singapore as placement fee and allow the agencies to collect this on behalf of the foreign agencies, because that’s what makes the whole figure looks very large. This will be a better solution.”

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • New Clubhouse For Foreign Domestic Workers

    New Clubhouse For Foreign Domestic Workers

    Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) will soon have a new hangout on their rest days. The Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST), a non-profit organisation, intends to open a second clubhouse to ramp up activities and provide extra support services to FDWs.

    FAST president Seah Seng Choon announced this at the 5th Foreign Domestic Workers Day on Sunday (Nov 30). The new facility will offer the same services as the first clubhouse at Raeburn Park, near the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

    FAST, a charity which aims to promote skills training for FDWs, said it could not confirm the location of the new clubhouse as yet. But it hopes to open the facility in the last quarter of 2015. It will have a shelter for distressed workers.

    Mr Seah said: “For our shelter, we would like to provide activities. Besides just a home, we want to make sure that they are occupied with meaningful activities, like training, like going for developmental kind of activities to enrich their experience in the home as well. So, while recuperating from their issues they have, we don’t want them to sit there, and do nothing.”

    In 2013, the Manpower Ministry introduced the mandatory weekly day off for newly recruited foreign domestic workers and those renewing their work permits. Under the arrangement, employers and workers can work out compensation in lieu of a day off. On January 1 next year, this will cover all foreign domestic workers. These workers will need a place to go to during their rest days, thus the idea for the new clubhouse.

    Some 5,000 foreign domestic workers congregated at the Grandstand Turf City on Sunday to celebrate the special day dedicated to them. Many were given a day off by their employers to attend the event.

    The event also saw outstanding workers and employers being recognised, with Filipina Chona Bandejas winning the FDW of the Year award. The 47-year-old was hailed as a devoted caregiver for her employer of 22 years. “I’ve been working with them, they never scold me, and they never argue with each other. Our relationship is really like a family, and I’m very happy to work for them,” said Chona.

    Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Amy Khor, who was the guest of honour at the event, urged employers to understand and adapt to the needs of FDWs. This is to ensure their well being.

    As for FDWs, Dr Khor said they have a responsibility to highlight early on to employers any concerns they might have. Ultimately, open communication based on mutual respect and accommodation is the best guarantee of a successful working relationship, she added.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com