Maid says that according to MOM, she does not have to clean her employer’s tenant’s rooms, other helpers say ‘Don’t be so calculative’

SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic worker who took to social media asking if she also needed to clean the room and hang the clothes of her employer’s tenants, wrote to the Manpower Ministry for an answer as well.

In a post to a Facebook group for domestic helpers, the maid then shared the Ministry’s response.

The MOM wrote: “Even though the tenants are staying under the same residential address as your employer, you are not supposed to clean their bedrooms”.

In her initial post to a Facebook group for domestic helpers, the maid wrote that her employer had tenants staying in the same house as well and that she was asked to clean their room and hang their clothes. The helper wrote: “Hello, If your employer have boarders at home is this also your responsibility to clean room and hang their clothes? Employer said Yes because you are working in same house and same address”.

According to the Manpower Ministry,

“A helper:

• Requires a valid Work Permit.
• Can only work for her employer at the residential address declared to MOM.
• Can only perform domestic chores.
• Cannot take on work with other employers.

PENALTIES

• For illegally deploying helpers, employers may be liable to pay a financial penalty of up to $10,000. Errant employers may also be banned from employing helpers.
• For employing a helper without a valid Work Permit, employers may be fined between $5,000 and $30,000, imprisoned for up to 1 year, or both. For subsequent convictions, offenders face mandatory imprisonment.”

Should a helper be required to take care of her employer’s child or parent at a relative’s house, MOM has to be notified beforehand.

Netizens who commented on the post told the maid not to be so calculative with her chores and to also help out where possible. Here’s what they said:

Maid asks if she also needs to clean the room and hang the clothes of her employer’s tenants