The following article was published in TODAY on 10 June 2005.
Other options for maids' rest days? Compensation for them among ideas suggested
By Wong Fei Wanfei
TODAY, 10 June 2005
SOME say they simply can't afford the change. Some have started giving it a thought and are thinking outside of the box.
As expected, the call by the Association of Employment Agencies (AEAS) to give foreign domestic workers (FDWs) four rest days a month has kicked up a storm. But it has also started a debate from which answers may emerge.
For Ms Doreen Seet, though, the questions come first. She works half-days on Saturdays and says that she simply cannot spare the time off for her Indonesian maid.
"I am the sole caregiver for my mother. Every Sunday, I have to rush to the market, then do the housework after that. If I give my maid a day off, who is going to look after my mother while I am out?"
The administrative assistant stressed that she was not against the rest days but opposed a blanket rule because different employers have different needs.
Mr Angland Seah, the AEAS president whose call sparked the debate, is looking at how the proposal of four rest days a month could be worked into a standardised employment contract. But he is also looking at other ways to make the proposal acceptable.
For example, the employer and the FDW could negotiate the number of rest days and the dates. The catch is that AEAS wants the domestic helper to be compensated $16 for each rest day she was required to work on.
If Ms Seet's maid is not given a day off, the scheme would allow her to take home $64 extra every month. But Ms Seet said she simply cannot afford this. "I am not highly paid," she said.
Another employer, who wanted to be known only as Ayu, said such an arrangement was unfair to employers who hired maids only because they were forced to.
Mr Seah conceded this but urged such families to give their maids at least a half-day off a month.
He also pointed out that foreign maid levies had dropped by $50 a month to $295 since April 1. And families with children under 12 years or parents older than 65 years now pay just $200, down from the $250 they paid earlier.
Some of the money saved could be used to compensate FDWs who have to work on rest days, he suggested.
Other minds were also at work.
Ms Zirah Rahim of Jobuzz Consultants suggested that if someone desperately needed the maid at home, as in Ms Seet's case, then perhaps she the FDW could be allowed to invite her friends or relatives over for a few hours.
And employment agency owner Arthur Loo said both employers and FDWs needed rest days but that two a month might be more appropriate than four.
Employers are also worried that their $5,000 bond would be forfeited if the FDWs "get into trouble" while on their days off.
"The maid is not going to pay you back the bond if she decides to run away," said Mr Chew Mun Leong, who gives his maid a day off each month.
But Mrs Anne Lee, another employer, felt maids needed their breaks too.
"The maid can recharge and enjoy herself on her days off. I believe that makes her a better and happier worker," she said.
How it all started
THE proposal for days off and compensation came about because many FDWs are flocking to countries such as Taiwan and Hong Kong where they command a higher salary. Rest days and other incentives could keep them here said ASES president Angland Seah.
Last month, the Hong Kong government announced that the minimum wage for the city's 200,000 foreign domestic helpers would be raised by HK$50 ($10.66) to HK$3,3320.
Over in Taiwan, foreigners enter the country as caregivers, commanding a monthly minimum wage of NT$15,840 ($842).
