SINGAPORE: The controversial move to raise salaries for foreign domestic workers (FDWs) - which got 16 agencies into trouble with the competition watchdog - has not eased the dire shortage of maids, agencies have told TODAY.
And with Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta signing a new agreement on Monday, which will pave the way for the lifting of a two-year freeze on Indonesian maids working in Malaysia, the situation will get worse, they have added.
Earlier this year,
the 16 agencies tried to collectively raise the monthly salaries of new
Indonesian maids to S$450 but the Competition Commission of Singapore
(CCS) stepped in and ruled that the agencies had engaged in
anti-competitive conduct.
They have up till June 27 to submit their arguments before the CCS decides if there was an infringement.
In
spite of the CCS move, other agencies - TODAY has learnt - have, in the
last six months, unilaterally raised salaries from S$380 for new FDWs
from Indonesia and the Philippines to up to S$450.
Said Ms Ivy
Lee, proprietor of Maid-Power: "There was no benchmark before as they
were paid according to their skills. The pay hike is overdue and is an
accepted norm now."
With countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan
reportedly paying the FDWs about S$600, prospective maids and agents
have the bargaining power.
Ms Lee recounted how an Indonesian
domestic helper almost backed out of coming to Singapore until she
secured S$400 in monthly pay instead of S$380.
Ms Yuni Dwiastuti,
31, a domestic helper who hails from Semarang, Central Java, earns
S$440 now. She has been working here for six years. And, while she is
happy with her employers, she hopes for a S$50 pay raise. She said: "All
my friends who asked for more pay got it and even the new ones get
S$450. I want to provide more for my family."
Responding to
TODAY's queries, a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesperson noted that
FDW household penetration rate in Singapore is currently "much higher
than that in Hong Kong".
Said the spokesperson: "There are about
200,000 FDWs in Singapore, equivalent to 175 FDWs per 1,000 household,
compared to 122 per 1,000 household in Hong Kong."
The high
demand accentuates the shortage. Ms Lee, who has been in the industry
for 26 years, noted that many employers do not realise the severity of
the situation.
Advising employers not to change maids at whim,
Ms Lee said: "Some (maids) are willing to forego a pay increase if their
employers are good to them. This is the time for employers to really
improve the living conditions of their helpers."
A property firm
owner, Mrs Anna Lee, 49, who pays her maid S$340 a month, felt that an
FDW's salary "should be based on experience". She noted that there are
also other costs borne by employers here, such as the levy that costs
between S$200 and S$265 a month and incidental costs such as food and
utilities.
Association of Employment Agencies of Singapore
(ASEAS) president K Jayaprema reiterated that the long-term solution
does not lie in increasing the pay.
She told TODAY: "We have to
ask how we can go beyond pay and make Singapore an attractive
destination for the women. Domestic helpers are no longer a luxury for
Singaporeans - they are a necessity."
MOM WILL CONTINUE TO FINE-TUNE POLICIES
ASEAS
is asking the MOM to reduce the minimum age requirement for FDWs and to
review the current English language entry test. The MOM had raised the
minimum age from 18 to 23 years in 2004 to ensure that the maids who
come here to work are responsible and mature enough to take care of
themselves and adapt to a foreign working environment.
The MOM
spokesperson noted that the Philippines "also maintains a minimum age of
23 for their domestic workers to work in a foreign country".
Still,
Ms Jayaprema said: "The legal working age is 21 - why does anyone need
to be 23 to do household chores? The passing rate for the English test
is very high but the helpers and their agents do not want any risk of
failure."
According to Ms Jayaprema, there are no entry tests
for foreign domestic workers in other countries. Last Saturday, an
Indonesian maid reportedly tried to hang herself at a maid hostel.
According to a press report, the hostel staff said the maid was feeling
depressed after thrice failing the English language test.
Noting
that the average passing rate was "more than 95 per cent", the MOM
spokesperson said that most FDWs "who have completed eight years of
formal education in their home countries would not face difficulties
understanding the test". The spokesperson added that the tests ensure
the FDWs "can understand basic safety instructions and have basic
numeracy and literacy skills to perform household tasks".
Said
the spokesperson: "We regularly examine all options related to improving
the quality and supply of domestic workers coming to Singapore,
including the entry test and range of source countries. We will continue
to work with interested stakeholders to fine-tune our policies."
In
the meantime, ASEAS is banking on its marketing efforts to alleviate
the crunch. Said Ms Jayaprema: "We have taken overseas trips to market
Singapore to agents there, telling them we have good laws that protect
workers and the women are treated reasonably well here."
- TODAY