Maid gets treated poorly and threatened with a salary cut by her employer, who doesn’t want to fire her

SINGAPORE: A concerned woman took to an online forum on Monday (Apr 21) to voice out her unease over the way her mother allegedly treats their domestic helper.

In the post, she claimed that her mother often mistreats the helper and repeatedly threatens to cut her salary, yet never follows through with firing her. The woman’s post sparked conversations around respect, boundaries, and the treatment of domestic workers in Singaporean households.

“My mum treats our helper like (trash), and I suspect she cuts her salary as well,” the woman wrote. “No one can get her to just fire the helper, as she does not want to. Probably on a power trip or something.”

The woman shared her frustrations, admitting that nothing seems to work. “I don’t know how to stop it,” she shared. “Talking to her doesn’t work; she will guilt-trip everyone and start a screaming match. I think the only way would be a lawful intervention, but I don’t know how to go about this.”

She then explored the possibility of getting the police or authorities involved, even just to “frighten” her mother into being a “decent” employer.

In the post’s comments section, the writer shared more info on the complicated situation, explaining that while her mother doesn’t want to fire the domestic worker, the helper allegedly doesn’t want to leave either. This then led the writer to suppose that the helper’s situation back home must be worse than whatever situation she is facing with her employer.

“It (must) still (be) better than going back home,” she wrote. “It’s been years already, and everyone has basically given up, but I feel sick to my stomach knowing that my mum is one of those power-tripping Singaporean Karen bullies. I just want her to be scared that her actions have consequences.”

A handful of online users responded to the post with advice for managing the situation between her mother and their domestic worker. “Talk to the helper to get her side of the story,” said one. “Talk to the agent and see how to facilitate reassigning the helper. Hire another helper and manage the pay on your end.”

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), employers who are convicted of abusing or ill-treating foreign domestic workers will face severe penalties, given that the MOM takes such allegations seriously. The MOM also urges people who suspect that an FDW is being ill-treated to contact the authorities.

See also: ‘My dad has a gambling addiction, but my mother has to work to pay off his debts’ — 23 y/o daughter reveals her mental struggles

Featured image by Freepik (for illustration purposes only)