THE Government has no plans to introduce a mandatory rest day for foreign maids - at this point, said acting Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong.
In a written response to a question from Nomination MP Siew Kum Hong in Parliament on Monday, Mr Gan said most maids are happy working in Singapore and the reported cases of abuse have remained low.
'There is therefore no need at this point for MOM to legislate a mandatory rest day,' he said, reiterating that the ministry is committed to safeguarding the well-being of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in Singapore.
Mr Gan said as part of the Work Permit conditions, employers are responsible for the well-being of their FDWs, including the provision of adequate rest.
Employers who fail to comply with this requirement can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed up to six months. They will also be barred from hiring another maid.
In addition, the accreditation bodies have, in 2006, introduced a standard employment contract for FDWs. All accredited employment agencies are required to use this standard contract. The standard contract requires employer to stipulate the number of rest days per month, and zero is not an option, said the minister.
Employers are also required to compensate their FDWs salary, should the FDWs work during their rest days.
'This is a more practical approach than legislating a fixed number of rest days per month for FDWs, given the unique nature of domestic work,' added Mr Gan.
'Households that have for example disabled family members who require constant attention may find it difficult to release the FDW for a prescribed period every month. Therefore, allowing households the flexibility to work out an employment arrangement with their FDWs, including paying their FDWs for not taking their rest days, is a more sensible approach.
'Nonetheless, MOM encourages employers to grant FDWs rest days regularly wherever possible.
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leech065
Do you have a maid in the first place or are you just simply stating your HR experiences from some HR management books?
Motivation is just one aspect of management. You must look at the situation in the entire totality before discussing maid issues, understand? Even the use of the word 'motivation' there're big differences between a company employee and a maid.
Just to give you some examples. Someone will plan the career path for a company employee or maybe the employee himeslf/herself will plan his/her own career path but who'll plan the career path (if any) for a maid? The company employee will get good increment and bonuses if he/she performs well whereas the maid will get a meagre rise in salary even if she performs well. How do you motivate her in these .....
Posted by: gatecrasher at Fri May 30 10:01:09 SGT 2008
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How can there not be? Local workers already have their psychological and safety needs met. They will be more motivated if given opportunities for self improvement, time off to spend with family/friends. If a workplace is a little further and needs longer travelling time, they will decline, even if the pay is more, which means money is not the only motivator. Whereas, for domestic workers, they are still working to sastisfy their lowest rung of basic needs. So to these people, money is more important that being accepted, time out for leisure, etc.
Just ask yourself, are your needs the same as your maid's? Are you happy if your employer pays you OT pay to work on weekends? I can tell you that most maids are.
Posted by: mimosatree at Thu May 29 23:10:11 SGT 2008
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When concerning motivation of worker there is no difference between maid and company employee. Afterall both are humans earning for a living. Maids required more time to adjust to local conditions unlike company employee who are mostly locals. So there are difference of expectation.
Posted by: leech065
