Maid has to sleep near the washing machine and bin area; shares photo of her handbag hanging on rubbish chute

SINGAPORE: Domestic helpers took to social media to share about their sleeping conditions, with a couple saying they had to sleep next to rubbish bins.

In the comments section of a post, one domestic helper said that she had to sleep next to the washing machine and bin area: “im sleeping with all washing machineand bin area so noisy cant sleep well in mid night some people are trowing bottles!!!but what to do i need job!!!” She also shared a photo of her lying down, and the rubbish chute barely a couple of metres away. She even used the handle of the rubbish chute to hang her handbag.

Many others also said they slept in the bomb shelter. One said that she did not have space to stretch her legs fully but still preferred it as she at least had some privacy.

Earlier this year, an employer came forward to talk about the schedule she gave her maid but was met with disbelief from netizens.

In an anonymous post to a Facebook support group for helpers and employers alike, the woman asked: “Can I know is it wrong to ask my helper to sleep at 9 pm?”

She explained that she asked her maid to sleep at 9 pm – after a full day of work – to take care of her two babies. “But when they cry at night, she will sleep and feed them at the same time till the milk bottle is not in their mouth. She rather use tik tok until 1 to 2 am. And in the morning, she will want to sleep while taking care of them”, the woman wrote.

Because she knew that taking care of two babies was tiring, she asked her maid to sleep early, she explained. “But she (the maid) kept saying not tired not tired. But when feeding them, she will fall asleep and stuff”, the woman wrote, asking others in the group for advice.

Maid asked to sleep at 9 pm daily has to care for 2 babies overnight, but employer says she watches TikTok until 2 am