The following article was published in the Straits Times on 19 Nov 2004.
Raise sought for Indonesian maids
By Lynn Lee
Straits Times, 19 November 2004
Embassy wants minimum pay to increase from $230 to $280
THE Indonesian embassy in Singapore has called for the minimum salary of Indonesian maids to be raised to $280 a month, from the current $230, from Jan 1 next year.
In a letter to maid agents sent out earlier this week, the embassy said the pay rise was because maids coming into Singapore would be better educated and have more work experience.
In September, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) had announced that, from next year, all new foreign maids must be at least 23 years old and have at least eight years of formal schooling.
Currently, the only criterion for the 8,000 to 9,000 new maids who arrive each month is that they be at least 18.
Around 73 per cent of all maids here are 23 and above.
The MOM introduced the new criteria because an influx of new maids is expected with the lowering of the foreign maid levy from $345 to $250 for families with children below 12, or with parents or grandparents aged at least 65.
Older and more experienced maids would likely be better able to care for children and the elderly, and pose fewer problems for their employers, the ministry said.
Maid agents contacted yesterday were all for the move.
The President of the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore), Mrs Helen Tan, said that the association supported the pay rise, while Mabuhay Agency's Anthony Sim said that the increase would make their salaries more comparable to 'Taiwan and Hong Kong, where Indonesian maids get around $300 or more'.
The agents also said that an expected shortage of maids because of the stricter rules would be eased by a pay rise.
Said Garden Home Employment Agency's director, Ms Mary Goh: 'With the raise, more Indonesian maids might consider coming to Singapore to work.'
Another reason given in the letter was that maid salaries have not risen for many years, agents said. But there was no indication of penalties for non-compliance, said Garden Home's Ms Goh.
The pay rise would peg the pay of Indonesian maids at just below that of Filipino maids, who get around $320. Maids from countries like India and Sri Lanka get less.
But agents agreed that employers would feel the pinch, since a $50 monthly raise meant an extra $600 a year.
Said Mrs Vina Siew, 50, a secretary who lives with her aged mother-in-law: 'I already pay close to $500 a month, including the levy. For those who really need a maid and are not earning much, the increase will hit them hard.'
