SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper took to social media asking why her employers reduced her salary by $23 without informing her in advance.
In an anonymous post to Facebook page FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), the maid wrote that she had been working with her employers for four years and usually chose to work on her days off and be paid for them. However, according to the Manpower Ministry (MOM), “From 1 January 2023, all employers must provide their migrant domestic workers (MDWs) at least one rest day a month that cannot be compensated away”.
“This is part of the measures announced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) last year to allow MDWs to rest and recharge from work, as well as form networks of support outside the household. MOM has also developed a guide to support employers and MDWs in initiating early conversations on the rest day arrangements, and to help employers plan for alternative arrangements for the household, if required”.
As a result, the maid wrote that her mandatory day off per month started this year. After she renewed her work permit with her current employers, she “just found out that they cut my salary since I got one day off $23.00”. Asking if this practice was normal, she wrote that she was unsure as her employers did not inform her in advance about it either.
Other helpers and netizens who commented on her post did the math for her and wrote that where she could previously be compensated for four days off per month, she could only be compensated for three. They also urged her to check her employment contract to determine if her basic salary included compensation for her days off.
Here’s what they said:
Earlier this year, a foreign domestic worker took to social media asking others for advice because her employer would pay her only for 30 days of work.
In her anonymous post to Facebook group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), the maid wrote that her basic salary was pegged to 26 days of work when she worked under an agency. If a month had 31 days, she would be paid her basic salary and compensation for the five additional days she worked.
However, now that her employer directly hired her without an agency, the maid wrote that her basic salary was pegged to 30 days of work. She had no days off despite working all the weekends.
In the comments section, the maid added that her employers did not allow her to take any days off.