Term 3 Week 1 Assignment

These days, it is common to see Singaporeans having maids in their households, taking care of most, if not all of their housework. Also, sights of maids being at the beck and call of their employers, and even the children, are no longer a rare sight, so much so that “it is perfectly fine” to do so. Recently, Ms Halimah Yacob said "If a rest day a week is not possible, then these workers should at least be compensated in cash." This sparked off an intense debate amongst Singaporeans. In my opinion , giving weekly days off should not be legislated in Singapore.

When Ms Halimah Yacob gave the suggestion, she was probably thinking about giving domestic helpers some rest, and get a day off a week just like other workers do. However, giving them a day off does not necessarily solve the problem of Singaporeans overworking the domestic helpers. Currently, under the standard employment contracts for maids, the number of rest days each month is stipulated, and should the maids agree to work on their rest day, employers are required to pay them an agreed amount of compensation, usually between S$20 and S$50. Some maids are willing to work more for these amounts of money, whilst some employers need their maids to be there to take care of their children, or to take care of elderly who might be bed-ridden. Thus, by legislating weekly days off, mutual negotiation between the maids and the employers is reduced, and the situation is cemented to be as such.

Nevertheless, there are also maids who feel they deserve a day off but have little room to decide for themselves with employers who feel they have the right to do anything they want to the maids as they are the ones paying for them to work. Thus, I feel that instead of having weekly days off legislated, maids should be given more power to make decisions, more power to negotiate to settle with a solution with their employers.

In conclusion, giving weekly days off should not be legislated in Singapore as it does not solve the problem of overworking maids, although the suggestion is in the interest of these domestic helpers. Instead, they should be given more room in decision making, allowing them to decide how their contract should be built up, how their work is to be carried out. With mutual consent, I believe both parties should be satisfied.