Maid asks if she is being bullied as both employers’ parents come over for lunch and dinner everyday, she has to cook for 7 people daily

SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper took to social media asking if she was being bullied because she had to cook meals for seven people on a daily basis.

In an anonymous post to a Facebook group for domestic helpers, the woman wrote that her employers were new and when she interviewed them, she was told that her jobscope would include “infant care, cleaning, and cooking for three families members”. However, she added that “in real-time, not only three but also both of their parents are joining every lunch (Sir’s parents )and dinner (Mdm’s parents), when they are not coming one or another one guests joined, sometimes still have to cook for tapau(food boxes for sending them)”.

The maid then added that she had been working as a helper in Singapore for seven years and felt that this constituted bullying. She asked others in the group for advice on her situation.

Netizens had mixed views, with some saying that she was too calculative, while others agreed with her and said that she needed to communicate with her employers.

Here’s what they said:

Last year, a foreign domestic worker was held to ransom by her employer who took to social media asking others for help and advice.

In a post to Facebook group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), the helper said that she had been working with her current employers for three years. After her 2-year contract was over, she asked to be transferred to another household but was told no by her employer who threatened to send her back to Indonesia.

She wrote that she was initially working for a family of five but the wife and children ran away from home, taking her with them. In their new house, she was made to cook “3x everyday untill saturday, cleaning house, do laundry, buy groceries, wash car, and take care of them, also my mdm always ask me to cook for party, last party for 32 people with 8 menu all by myself nobody help me even for small thing”.

The children fought amongst themselves every day and she wrote that the last time two of them fought, she injured her toes trying to stop them. Despite there being a lot of blood from the injury, her employer declined to take her to a doctor.

Because of the stress levels she faced, she did not want to work for the family anymore. However, her employer said that she would not release the maid, not even in two months “she said everything is up to her, and say she will say bad things about me so all employers don’t want me anymore”, the maid added, fearing the consequences should her employer badmouth her and make her unemployable.

Maid says when she asked for transfer because her employer makes her cook 3 times a day and for parties of over 30 people, the employer threatens to send her back home