SINGAPORE: An employer took to social media asking others for help after she found out that her maid was making an extra $200 to $400 monthly doing a side business.
In an anonymous post to a support group on Facebook, the employer asked others for advice and help. “I got to know that my helper is making some extra money by reselling clothes”, she wrote.
She said that her maid orders clothes from Chinese wholesalers and then sells them to other helpers in Singapore at a marked-up price. “She is very nice hard-working woman, and so far this additional business of hers did not affect her job. I am only worried about her doing that because as per law she cannot have any other job, isn’t it?” the woman asked. She said that should her maid get caught, she was not sure it would end well for the helper.
“I thinks she makes extra $200-400 per month, sometimes more, sometimes less. I am happy that she can have some extra money in addition to her salary. I am just conserned (sic) about the legal side of it. I haven’t spoken to her about it yet, and any kind advice will be much appreciated”, the employer wrote.
Other netizens who commented on the post were alarmed and said that the maid’s business was illegal. Here’s what they wrote:
A CNA article reported that the Manpower Ministry makes it clear that foreign domestic workers here must work only for their designated employer according to the terms of the work permit. The law prohibits maids from doing extra income-earning activities, including online businesses.
If convicted of breaching this, a worker can be fined up to S$20,000 or jailed for two years or both. Her work permit will be revoked, after which she will be sent home and barred from working in Singapore.
Her employer can also be fined up to S$10,000 and barred from hiring another foreign domestic worker.
Earlier this year, another foreign domestic helper took to social media because of a difficult situation she was put in by her divorced employers.
The maid wrote that her employers had been through a divorce and got separated, leading to them living in different houses. “But then they Stil ask me to clean both house. For example: one day I clean at his place one till afternoon and then come back to his ex wife to continue cooking for dinner and sometimes put the kids to dinner as I sleep at his ex wife place”, the maid explained.
She added that her work permit was still under the man’s name. She also added that working at both his place and his ex-wife’s house meant that she often did double work. The maid asked others in the group: “What should I do ? Any suggestions really help me and it tiring work here and there!”
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