February 27, 2005

Another.

Aside from the topic of education and Chinese language, it must now be known that there is a community whose life and welfare in Singapore has always been my concern area too. In fact, this was the community I had first wanted to do my thesis topic on. Unfortunately, due to methodological limitations, I had to make a quick shift in topic. But, news that concern them often raise my concern too. I'm talking about the community of foreign domestic helpers in Singapore.

From the papers...29

A compulsory one day off every month for Indo domestic helpers? According to whatever little I understood from some of my respondents and their employers in the earlier days of researching for my thesis, Filipino helpers have a compulsory day off every week. On the other hand, Indonesian helpers are not entitled to that and any day off is an act of goodwill by the employers. Filipino helpers also get a significantly higher pay range than their Indonesian counterparts.

Since the topic is on compulsory day off for Indo domestic helpers, I shall narrow my focus. A reader of Today newspaper wrote in to say why she thinks that decision should be left to negotiation between the employer and the maid. She informed that her maid has plenty of rest time between 8.30am to 5pm on weekdays during which she can take her own sweet time to execute her daily routine household chores. The reader also argues that if time off is granted to her helper, she would probably have to take off from her annual leave to do the chores that her maid couldn't do cos the latter is 'on leave'.

My first response to this was, 'are you sure you don't take your own sweet time to do your work in office?' Then, 'never knew ironing clothes and mopping the floor is a 9 hours task that requires a day off from your annual leave...'

To have a day off away from your work environment creates an entirely different therapeutic experience than to take breaks from work but still remain in your working environment. An environment can be so stifling that even taking breaks in between work doesn't help to make a worker feel better. It's more like a physical pause in action rather than rest time.

Besides, God knows how much work some of these helpers have to do on a everyday basis! Household chores, tending to the children (the brats, some of them), tending to the in-laws... whatever nasty chores that was supposed to be yours were thrown to them. Seriously, if taking their own sweet time could accomplish these work from 8.30am - 5pm, the least you could give them is your utmost respect, and not petty attitude as this. Besides, when you knock off from work at 5pm (as if you don't work OT cos you were taking your own sweet time to finish your work before 5pm), you are going home. The helpers, despite always being at home, never knock off!

I think it's ridiculous what goes through the mind of some employers, really. Don't they realise that it's because of their superior mentality and condescending attitude that 'outsiders' have to step in to mind this business of theirs? Just because we are paying these helpers more than what they would have gotten if they stayed in their home country, that makes us eligible slave masters? Shocking!

Posted by 杏 cy （Jancy） at 14:32