http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080925/tap-282-maternity-perks-urged-maids-231650b.html

i'm not at all excited with this piece of news.

Asked if domestic helpers should be allowed to give birth here, Home’s (the NGO who is suggesting this) executive director Jolovan Wham told Today: “We don’t have a view on that yet. But we are suggesting that they be given the 12—week maternity leave currently available toeither deliver their babies here or back in their home country.”

Work permit and security bond conditions prohibit female work permit holders, including maids, from getting pregnant.

giving them equal maternity perks is encouraging to find a husband in singapore to settle down. and duh, if they are pregnant, they would not be even able to come to Singapore to work in the first place. and duh, domestic maids go for half yearly check up and if they are pregnant, they would have to go back. duh duh duh. and if you do not have a view whether they be allowed to give birth here, then dun suggest such stupid suggestion.

The two groups also argued that the current standard contract agreed by the accreditation bodies, CaseTrust and the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore), does not provide for paid sick leave, annual leave and public holidays. Nor does it specify expected work hours and payment for overtime work. These should be brought in line with current labour legislation, they argued.

let me see.... in my contract agreement, my current myanmar maid has annual leave, oops, sorry, bi-annual leave. At the end of 2 years, if she wants to continue to work with us, we have to let her go back 1 month to visit her family. (30 days for 2 years, some Singapore workers have only 14 days annual leave, ie, 28 days for 2 years) and if she does not want to go home, we have to pay her an extra month of her salary. so they do have certain benefits in this area.

as for the specific expected work and overtime work, how should i say? put it this way, if you can calculate and quantify the number of hours a full time housewife works, then we will be able to do the same for domestic workers.

imagine, if we specify, working hours from 9am - 5pm. ok, i'm fine with starting at 9am. that means me, as a mum, will wake up before 6am, get myself ready for work, then at 6am, wake my children to get them ready for school. I will also try to make my bed, make their beds, then rush out of the house before 6.30am to beat the traffic. all this while, my maids will still be sleeping in the room becos they will only start work at 9am.

Ok, let’s deal with the 5pm knock off time. This means that I’ll have to be home before 5pm, if the companies allow. Then cook dinner for the family, (should I also cook for my maid?) then when we have dinner, invite her to sit together with us for dinner. I’ll set the table, feed my children, after which I’ll have my dinner, then as the whole family is watching tv (maybe including the maid, their welfare, right!?! We need to look after their welfare) I’ll be washing the dishes, sweeping the kitchen and dining area, mopping the kitchen and dining area. Then change pyjamas for my kids and then put them in bed. All this while, my maids will be watching tv, or shaking leg in her room because she ends work at 5pm.

So what is the point of hiring a maid if I have to do another 50% of the housework myself? so before this is implemented, maybe we should build a dormitory for maids, let them go back and rest after they knock off work at 5pm. Then with the ample free time at night, they can go moonlighting, oh yeah, then we can kick in the maternity perks. No problem.

Some employ the maids as full time care giver to the sick and elderly. So can my maid tell my mil, ‘sorry ah ma, I work until 5pm. After 5pm, u want to go toilet, you push yourself into the toilet.’ Even if you talk about split shifts, 9am-1pm, then 5pm – 9pm. So if my mil fell down at 3pm, so my maid will tell her, ‘sorry ah ma, now not my working hour. You fall down, u pick yourself up.’ Or ‘u fall down, I help you up, I claim OT.’ Ha, that would be hilarious.

I’m sorry, I’m not being mean or sarcastic. Leave and pay wise, if you want to ensure a minimum wage, fine, go ahead. But certain things just cannot seem to happen. Because the working hours of housewife cannot be quantified. Ask any full time housewife.

Actually, the maids’ busiest time is in the morning and evening. I know my maids are very free in the afternoon from 2- about 5.30pm. They usually sit in the kitchens. I understand and do not expect them to be finding work to do as long as you have done your duties well.

I’m just infuriated with some of the recommendations they are suggesting. Of course, I know where these two NGOs are coming from. Recently, a whole family was charged in court for maid abuse, I really feel sorry for the maid. Maybe that’s why the NGOs feel that they have to do something to protect the welfare of the maids and thus come out with a few recommendations.