Disagreements between employers and workers are common in any industry, and domestic work is no exception. Given the challenges that come with hiring a foreign domestic worker, disputes can be difficult to handle, particularly since they can also involve employment agencies. While domestic work is not regulated under Singapore’s Employment Act, there are legal avenues that one can follow if a dispute cannot be resolved at home. Full-time domestic helpers come from ...
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From 1 January 2019, employers of foreign domestic workers (FDW) in Singapore are no longer allowed to safe keep any money belonging to their maid including the salary in order to protect both parties from money-related disputes. Therefore, opening a bank account for your maid will be one of the best ways for both you and the maid to manage her money. Benefits of maids having a bank account Avoiding salary-related disputes Employers ...
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by PathFinders As Hong Kong battles the COVID-19 fifth wave, it is understandable many are anxious about their health and that of their loved ones - particularly young children and elderly parents. Stress mounts for many Hong Kong parents who are working from home, and supporting their children with online learning at the same time. For households who employ Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs), there has not been a more critical time than ...
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Hiring a foreign domestic worker is usually what families do when they need someone to help with caregiving and domestic work. As of today, there are around 250,000 maids working in Singapore. Only about one-third of them finish two years of their contract. In view of this, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) feels the need to support employers in their hiring of maids, since early termination of contracts is expensive ...
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By PathFinders Legislative Council’s statistics in 2018 revealed that the median hours of employees in Hong Kong (HK) is 44.3 hours per week - which is 4.3 hours more than the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) recommendation of 40 hours per week. During the ongoing pandemic, many employees in HK are reportedly clocking more hours as they work from home. As our day gets busy, it is likely that we will neglect to ...
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By PathFinders As Hong Kong enters the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and with many parents and their children currently working and learning from home under one roof, the boundaries between work and rest have become even more unclear. Not only are families at risk of greater stress and growing conflicts - it has a significant impact on Migrant Domestic Workers (MDW) as well. The heavier workload and longer working hours ...
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By Pathfinders With another year drawing to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect and set goals for the new year! Living thousands of miles apart from their loved ones and immersing in a culture vastly different from their own, Migrant Domestic Workers have been creating brighter futures for their children and family - as well as ours - for more than 50 years in Hong Kong. Some spend up to ...
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Hiring a foreign domestic worker (FDW) is often thought to be the only solution to get extra hands to help around in the household. While FDWs play an extremely valuable role in many Singaporean and expat households – particularly by making it possible for breadwinners to strike a balance between their career and their personal life – they are hardly the only option. Hiring a FDW should not be taken lightly. ...
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Despite progress, including greater awareness of the rights of domestic helpers, maids are sometimes poorly treated in Singapore and other parts of Asia. Since this worker group remains vulnerable to exploitation, the government of Singapore says it imposes severe penalties on those who abuse foreign maids. Employers should be aware of helpers’ rights, and discuss these during on-the-job orientation and training, and ensure that expected duties remain legal and ethical. Unfortunately, ...
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By PathFinders The recent Mid-Autumn Festival was a special time of getting together with family and close friends. As we enjoyed the reunion, there were as many as 370,000 Migrant Domestic Workers (MDW) in HK who had not been able to be home to see their families for almost 2 years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A number of these MDW are mothers who left their children back in their home ...
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