Maid who moonlighted for 2 other employers for several years slapped with S$13,000 fine

SINGAPORE: A Filipino domestic helper who has worked in Singapore for over three decades has been fined S$13,000 after it was discovered that she worked unofficially for two other households aside from her legal employer.

One of the people she worked for has also been fined, with the court requiring the woman to pay S$7,000. Whether the other unofficial employer was also fined is uncertain.

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), under the conditions of their work permits, foreign domestic helpers are only allowed to work for the people who officially hire them. They are not allowed to take on any other work or operate a business, even on their rest days.

If they do so, they face fines of as much as S$20,000 and could be sent to jail for as long as two years. Moreover, their work permit could also be revoked, which would lead to deportation and being banned from working in Singapore.

Employers who allow their helpers to work elsewhere face fines of as much as S$10,000 and could also be banned from hiring foreign domestic workers in the future. Those who employ a helper without a valid work permit may be fined between S$5,000 and S$30,000, jailed for as long as a year, or both. These regulations are put in place for the protection of both helpers and their employers.

The unofficial work that Pido Erlinda Ocampo, 53, did went on for several years, with the helper stopping only when restrictions were imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report in CNA.

Prior to getting into trouble with the law for moonlighting, she had valid work passes from 1994 onwards and had worked legally in four different households.

However, Pido worked for 64-year-old Soh Oi Bek, a Singaporean, from April 2018 to February 2020 and from March 2022 to September 2024, after Soh was introduced to Pido by a friend of the helper’s legal employer. Two to three times each month, she performed domestic duties in Soh’s home, for which she took home S$375 in cash a month.

The court heard that Soh was aware that Pido was officially employed elsewhere but hired her anyway because she was “busy and needed someone trustworthy to help her clean her residence.”

Later on, Soh even recommended Pido to work for Pulak Prasad, whom Soh worked for. Pido also carried out housekeeping duties for him from September 2019 to February 2020 and from March 2022 to September 2024. Once or twice a month, she would go to Prasad’s residence to work, getting paid S$450 a month.

After the MOM was told about a potential breach of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, it began looking into Pido’s moonlighting activities in December last year. The prosecutor from MOM recommended a higher fine for Soh, given the length of time that Pido provided unofficial services for her.

CNA added that Pido and Soh have paid their fines in full. /TISG

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