Photo: Reuters
Kirsten Han/
The following is a letter written to the Straits Times forum by Madam Low Ai Choo on the issue of a weekly day off for domestic helpers, interspersed with some of my thoughts.
It is true that maids should not be treated differently from other workers, and they need rest (‘Consider law to give maids a day off every week: Halimah’; Monday). But do they really need one weekly day off for that? Do they not rest in the course of their work every day?
It appears strange to me that she should start her letter with “maids should not be treated differently from other workers” and then spends the rest of her letter talking about how maids should not get a weekly day off – which other workers do get.
People who talk about domestic helpers and their rights and whether they should be allowed a day off should just think about it this way: do you think you should have a day off a week?
My current maid has a day off once a month. Every time she comes back from her outings, she appears even more tired and listless, and needs to recuperate from her outing. When she is not around, both my husband and I, who are teachers, have to juggle with the care of our toddlers (two and three years old), besides catching up with whatever work we have not completed in the week.
Singaporeans work very long hours too and while we do not work officially on weekends, many of us catch up with work on weekday evenings and weekends.
My maid has more than enough time to rest daily, when the kids are napping or when my older one is in kindergarten. My maid is the one who goes to bed by nine every night and my husband and I are the ones who are still up way beyond nine to tuck in our children and catch up with school work.
In all seriousness, teachers like Madam Low* do work very hard, like every other Singaporean worker who has to join the rat race. Working overtime and taking work home is common in Singapore – in fact, it’s an anomaly if you get to leave work on time and not have to think about work at home. That is the sad fact that every Singapore has to face. This culture of “work hard, work long, work often” is an issue that we have to deal with in our society.
But that does not give you the right to take it out on your maid by depriving her of a weekly day off – a right that you have, whether you observe it or not.
Statements like “[w]hen she is not around, both my husband and I, who are teachers, have to juggle with the care of our toddlers (two and three years old), besides catching up with whatever work we have not completed in the week” and “…my husband and I are the ones who are still up way beyond nine to tuck in our children and catch up with school work” appear to suggest that Madam Low is blaming her maid for the fact that she has to take care of her own little ones once in awhile. But aren’t they your kids, Madam Low?
Are maids really that overworked? The many maids congregating and chatting away happily at my condominium on weekdays present a different picture.
My previous maid met her boyfriend on her day off and even while we were at work. I have also heard of other maids doing part-time work on their days off.
The slew of social problems that will result from a weekly day off is unthinkable.
What slew of social problems? Would Madam Low care to elaborate? If she did elaborate, would any of these elaborations actually be – oh no! – racist and xenophobic?
If Madam Low thinks that domestic helpers should not be allowed weekly days off because they will cause social problems by – as far as I can see from her letter – having boyfriends (A WOMAN HAVING A BOYFRIEND! FOR SHAME!) and working part-time (HOW DARE THEY WANT TO EARN MORE MONEY TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR INCOME WHICH IS MOSTLY TAKEN AWAY BY THEIR AGENCIES!) then I would propose that we extend her argument and lock everyone up. Wouldn’t that solve everything?
And think of those taking care of old and disabled people. It will not be easy for someone else to take over their duties when they take their day off.
This is true, but again, it doesn’t mean that we can take away a person’s right to have time off and rest. It will be up to us, who are ultimately the ones responsible for our old and disabled, to work out a system that is good for everyone, so that we can all rest and recharge when we need to. And with an aging population, this is an issue that the government will also have to address soon. We can’t just expect domestic helpers to solve the problem for us.
I urge the Government to consider carefully the many factors at play and the consequences of legislating a day off for maids.
– Madam Low Ai Choo, 22 June 2011
The push for legislation to give domestic helpers a weekly day off is not just to ruin your life, Madam Low. It is also to protect those who are not as “fortunate” as your helper probably is. Those who are made to work 24/7 with no rest or respite, those who have to serve more than one family, shoulder incredible burdens and are near collapse with mental and physical fatigue. These people are in need of protection, legal protection, from the abuse that they face every day.
Fatigued workers = *alarm bells*
Image from EHE and Me
I actually think that weekly days off would help. Fatigue is a dangerous thing. It makes us less alert at work, it makes us resentful and frustrated, it makes us more short-tempered and quicker to lash out. Many workplace accidents happen when workers are fatigued and less attentive. There have also been cases of workers – including domestic helpers – who have been so fatigued and stressed out and overworked that they simply snapped, having mental breakdowns or even turning violent.
Madam Low herself appears be suffering from fatigue, so much so that she has taken the trouble to write to the ST forum about denying another person time off so she can rest.
By having weekly days off, we make sure that all domestic helpers have the chance to let off some steam and recharge before coming back for another week. Isn’t this what we cherish our own weekends for? If I had kids or old/disabled parents, I would actually want the person to whom I am entrusting them to be well-rested and happy, not fatigued and frustrated.
If you are overworked, it is a problem that stems from your employer and (in the bigger picture) the government’s policies. It is something that you, together with all others in your situation, have to work together to figure out. Every person has to find his/her balance.
But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to deny another person the rights that you want for yourself.
* I would just like to add a little note to say how horrified I was to realise that Madam Low is a teacher. If this is how teachers respect the human rights of person they deem to be “of lower status” than them, what are we teaching our kids?
The article also appears in Funny Little World
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
haha good detective work Barine! How did u find this?
I really agree with Madam Low’s article. the concept of maid’s working very hard and up to late is nonsense. My family does give my maid the month off, but at times when she has to attend to some urgent matters outside, we will give her the time off. I’m sure such flexibility is okay. But legislating a weekly off, have we accorded to much power to maids? For one, some of our own citizens work 7 days a week. Solve that first.
2 cents. ha! nah, small world. a friend is in the same school as her. no detective skills needed.
@hey
Our citizens are covered under the Employment Act, which legislates for a day off for most professions (strangely, many PMETs are not covered).
Begin with the maids, and our own citizens will benefit, for it will make no sense that one group of workers is worse off than the other.
Good write-up. In the colonial past, there was the Chinese Protectorate to stop the exploitation of Chinese migrants by their employers – mostly Chinese themselves. Granted that is the background of most of our forefathers (poor, exploited migrants), I don’t see why their progeny is defending the exploitation of other people. After all, how many of these people will find it fair for their own children or themselves to be treated the same way.
We need a similar official agency to look into the systemic abuse and exploitation of modern-day slaves.
I have one chief maid and 2 housemaids. They rotate the 2 shiftworks, restday/offday and 21 days annual leave.
I think its safe to assume that most people in Singapore get paid more than 350 per month. They also get “chill out” time away from the office. Maids on the other hand live in the “office” so to speak. But to be fair, if the maid does not want the off day, she should have the perogative. But there has to be employment rights. Otherwise, the system is too open to abuse.
I am relieved to know that I was not the only one to feel outraged at Mdm Low’s insistence that our domestic helpers do not get the day off.
Many Singaporeans proudly declare that their maids get one day off each month as if they have are doing something extraordinary. I’m Singaporean and I often feel ashamed by the working terms and conditions of many foreign workers here.
How can anyone who talks about not treating maids any differently from other workers not then ask “Why only 1 day off a month?”. How many Singaporeans or FTs get ONE day off a MONTH? That, in itself, shows that we are treating maids differently from other workers (except their fellow sufferers, construction workers).
We Singaporeans are toocomfortable and often take things for granted. We will only understand and appreciate the injustice of a single day off a month when we are put in the exact situation some day. Let’s say things get really bad and we are forced to go overseas to secure menial jobs and we are paid about S$350-400 a month and are only given 1 day off a month.
If any of us can imagine being made to work from morning to night 7 days a week, it sounds unbearable but add to this, missing our loved ones and the situation gets much worse.
Most office workers work a maximum of 44 hours per week – most maids start work early in the morning and end later at night (many end at about 10 pm) and 7 days a week! That to me is too extreme for a global city that we claim we are. You will not find such working hours in developed countries like Canada, US, UK etc.
So, let’s not talk about treating maids (and construction workers) the same as other workers unless we are prepared to let them have a day off every week (most others get 2 days off).
I think we should reduce maid levy. If I’m not wrong countries like Hong Kong & Taiwan are collecting maid levy of less than SGD$100 equivalent per month.
I am all for giving maids a day off a week. I have had the same maid for 5 and-a-half years now. She get every Sunday off and although she is told to come back by 8 pm, she always comes home by 6.
She is an Indon maid and in addition to a weekly day off, I give her 2 months’ bonus per year.
In return, I have a happy, well-adjusted maid who is devoted to my family and my kids. She worries about my kids when they are ill. On her days off, my maid would sms me to remind me to give my kids their medicine at the stipulated hours.
Those who argue against a day off are being counter-productive. In the long run, given our “harsh” working conditions, most maids would rather go work in Hong Kong and Taiwan rather than come to Singapore. When such a situation of a supplu crunch occurs, we Singaporeans who have become so reliant on our maids will suffer.
Moreover, it would do us some good to have to look after our own children, elderly etc ourselves at least once a week for a whole day and bond with them without the presence of a maid.
I was amazed for the comments on the Straight Times made by Low Ai Choo, in somehow she wants an slave without rights to have family, children, etc. If Low Ai Choo working 7/24 ?, I guess not, so the maid should have the same rights than her of having human time. If she is a teacher I would not have my children around her. She is has not realized we live in the 21 century.
Just came back from Hong Kong. Some maids are do not stay in their employers house during weekend. They hang around on the street and MTR. Talking loudly and seriously causing human congestion. They do not even know the basic rules of giving ways to the people for boarding and alighting the train.
Do not need to provide official off days weekly to maid, once a month is more than enough. They are very good in finding off hours. Happy hours getting men in to their room when the employer are sleeping in the middle of the night, meet security boy friend at condo’s car parks, meet boyfriends at rooftop etc…. The more you give them, they will ask for more (esp. the phi maid), they will even more happy if you provide 5days week for them. If they think SG is not a good place to work, then don’t come, wasting our resources $$$ to bring them in and send them back at our own cost.
Yes to offday, don’t talk nonsense, if everybody have maids like you, of course we would not be here debating. why don’t you try employing another maid and see the true colour/standard of the maids today.
You are lucky, I am also looking for a maid like yours, do you want to trade with mine. I bet after 2 weeks you will be singing a different tune.
Sigh… some people are so naive.
My 2-cents’ worth. Allow me to share my blog post here.
http://joyracreu.blogspot.com/2011/07/runaway-maids.html
Why shd govt collect so much levy out of maids if the point is to aid Singaporeans? Next, those agencies shd also be regulated to protect the maids’ earnings. Conditions shd be mutually agreed upon inception, and the govt shd not hold employerirresponsible for conducts of the maids. No one shd be made responsible for the behavior of another. Meanwhile all humans shd rest at least once a week.
Fighting for maid’s off day ?? … Good, well done blokes.
Singaporeans annual leaves originally was 14 days during the 80′s .. and now abruptly cut to 7 days, all across the boards. Why ?????? Why ?????? Why ?????? ANSWER ME, YOU IDIOTIC 60.1% OF IDIOTIC PAPIES BLOKES ??????????????????
If the government is unable to care for the welfare of her own citizens, why even try to help domestic workers? I say, the gov should take care/clear up citizens’ own matters, then consider the issue of maids’ rest days.
and besides, they don’t even try considering situations from other’s POVs. how many government officials have maids too? are they willing to forsake their worktime just to let maids have a day off per week? Employers ARE flexible. most are understanding and DO NOT restrict the maids from rest once in a while/ work them like slaves.
the gov should just stop interfering with such minute matters and consider serious issues like the WIDENING INCOME GAP. think about it. SO MUCH CAN BE DONE TO HELP CITIZENS and look at what they are doing now. >: (