What’s Fair For One….
The following letter was sent to the ST Forum page on 29th November. There have been a series of letters and articles recently touching on this issue. None talked about a domestic workers’ right to have similar information to that now provided to potential employers. The letter was published online but not in the paper.
Employment Data for Maids?
Dear ST,
The letter from Ms Jean Teo ("Problem maid had eight employers in two years", ST, Nov 21) and reply from Ms Jean Tan for the MOM ("Employment data made available to maid bosses", ST, Nov 27) deal with the provision made for prospective employers to find out about the employment history in Singapore of domestic workers they may be considering hiring.
The MOM provides a useful service for employers and its introduction last year was a welcome move, but, in the interests of fairness, shouldn't women seeking employment as domestic workers be able to check the employment records of potential employers? After all, the consequences of being employed by someone who has a high turnover of domestic workers can be dire. At best, a worker may find herself sent back to an employment agency and have to pay out fees of between one and four months' salary to get a transfer; at worst, her employer may refuse to sign a letter of release, and she could be sent out of Singapore considerably worse off than if she had stayed at home in the first place.
Shouldn't a domestic worker have the chance to decide for herself if she wants to take the risk of working for someone who never seems to retain a worker for very long?
Yours sincerely,
John Gee
President, Transient Workers Count Too