Saturday, March 11, 2006
Restless Maids
Today in Today, Neil Humphreys ('A sad tale, maid in Singapore') was aghast at the rejection by Parliament of legislating mandatory rest days for maids (see Straits Times report of 9 March by Leslie Koh & Tania Tan). The rationale for rejecting the legislation was given by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower, Hawazi Daipi who
Humphreys mentioned in his article a 9 March Straits Times report ('Foreign workers a 'high-risk' group') that Singapore maids are a high risk suicide group (12 suicides per 100,000). The Straits Times figures were obtained from Dr Chia Boon Hock who will be presenting his work on Singapore Suicides at the 2nd Asia Pacific Suicide Prevention Conference (10-12 March @ Furama RiverFront).
There was also mention of a Dec 2005 Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reply to a Human Rights Watch report. Well, MOM issued three replies from the 6th to the 8th of Dec. The one Neil Humphreys was probably referring to is the one on 7th Dec titled 'Fact Sheet in Response to Human Rights Watch Report' which states that
A final note: Lin Yanqin reported in yesterday's Today that the Feedback Unit has commissioned a study on the views of foreign domestic workers. Wonder what that will reveal...
"said legislating employment terms and conditions would lead to 'rigidities and inconvenience' for many households. 'For example, some households have elderly or infirm members with special needs who require constant attention and may find it difficult to release the domestic worker for a prescribed period every week,'..."However, the industry itself is not going to sit with government inaction. The Association of Employment Agencies Singapore (AEAS) and CaseTrust are working out a standard employment contract which requires a minimum of one day off per month or $20 more in salary. This will be made an industry standard. The details are in yesterday's Today ('Finally, a day of rest for foreign domestic workers ...' by Teo Xuanwei). I know it isn't much (even security guards get 2 days off a month) but it's a start.
Humphreys mentioned in his article a 9 March Straits Times report ('Foreign workers a 'high-risk' group') that Singapore maids are a high risk suicide group (12 suicides per 100,000). The Straits Times figures were obtained from Dr Chia Boon Hock who will be presenting his work on Singapore Suicides at the 2nd Asia Pacific Suicide Prevention Conference (10-12 March @ Furama RiverFront).
There was also mention of a Dec 2005 Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reply to a Human Rights Watch report. Well, MOM issued three replies from the 6th to the 8th of Dec. The one Neil Humphreys was probably referring to is the one on 7th Dec titled 'Fact Sheet in Response to Human Rights Watch Report' which states that
"The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) imposes work permit (WP) conditions which bind all employers to look after the well being of their FDWs. These conditions include provisions on personal safety, proper housing, prompt salary payment and adequate food and rest."The initial response from MOM on 6 Dec is also quite substantial: 'MOM's reponse to Human Rights Watch Report'. For the Human Rights Watch report that started it, read Maid to Order: Ending Abuses Against Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore. Or if you want the quick version, read their press release: 'Singapore: Domestic Workers Suffer Grave Abuse'.
A final note: Lin Yanqin reported in yesterday's Today that the Feedback Unit has commissioned a study on the views of foreign domestic workers. Wonder what that will reveal...
