SINGAPORE: A 31-year-old maid took to social media after she went back home for her father’s funeral but found out that her employer had cancelled her Work Permit (WP) despite agreeing not to.
In a post to a Facebook support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the maid wrote that she was from the Philippines and had been working in Singapore for almost 11 months. She wrote that her father suddenly passed away and she asked her employer for three weeks of leave, after which she will come back. Her employers agreed and so she left all of her belongings in their house.
A week after she returned to the Philippines, her employer told her that she did not need to come back to work for them. They also cancelled her Work Permit without informing her. She added that it put her in a very difficult situation as all her belongings, clothes and documents were left in their house.
When the maid asked her employer to send her things back to her, the woman informed her to arrange for it herself and pay for it. “I don’t know what to do now . I work hard and do my job and I also take good care of their 2 years old son and house chores. What should I do can someone advice or help me” the maid wrote.
Here’s what netizens who commented on the post said:
On the flip side, another employer who sent her maid on “emergency leave” found out that the helper did not want to come back to return to work for her.
In an anonymous post to a Facebook support group for helpers and employers alike, the woman explained that her domestic helper went on leave and told her she needed to go as it was an emergency. Trying to be kind, the family sent her back for a month. The woman added that after returning home, the maid asked her to cancel her Work Permit (WP) as “she wants to join another family where she used to work on her off days”.