SMS, would you resort to such methods if your employers do not treat you right? I think there are more constructive ways for the maids to resolve their differencs, even with meanny employers. Many maids come from backgrounds that do not empower the individuals and it does not take a lot for them to break. And having an abusive employer does not help in the situation.sundaymorningstaple wrote:I suggest 12/7 for 6 months and see how long you last but you have to stay at your employers place of business and can only use the phone and go out with friends IF your employer feels like letting you. Then maybe you might have a better handle of the problem. Your simplistic views are why they finally break down and either jump off the roofs or slice their wrists or p*ss in your soup and spit in your food when you aren't looking. And you know something? You probably deserve it if that's actually how you treat your maid. Personally? I think it's all a wind-up and you are our latest troll.
I have never implied that! Unless you are in the top 5 % of the population, most people have to really watch their budget. And many Americans carry large debts. It is not always about money! No money, no problem. Like I said the community/family can pool their time and resources together, without dishing out a single cent, taking turns to take care of those who need help. Or wait a minute, it is much easier and quicker to make the maid do their dirty work for them and no day off for the maids. At the end of the day, this is your life. You actually have more control over it than you think. And you get to decide what priorities are important to you in your lives.Tigerslayer wrote:
You make it sound like there is a thriving opportunities for jobs that cover expenses out there for anyone that needs them. Again i am surprised I get called rose tinted because frankly if you are employed you should consider yourself lucky in the current climate... More so if you happen not to hold the correct certificates and experience....
I fully agree and believe in most instances where a maid is needed rather than a luxury that they are grateful for the option.TS, there are many people around the world who toil all day, all year for a mere pittance, making just enough for survival. So it is not just Singaporeans. However they have to be grateful that they at least have the option to hire a maid.
Agreed and even worse still I am sure...Not available here in USA where I live. They just have to learn to make do. There are people here who can't afford the dentists and live with rotting teeths for years, elderly eating dog food ..... you get the idea.
Unfortunately like I have said previously there are countless commodities that come at the expense of another human being that we all use day in and day out. If you looked below the surface of your daily goods Maids and their days off should be the least of your concerns.Singaporeans can have their cake and eat it too. But not at the expense of another human. They can hire local part time help a day out of the week. Maid gets a day to rest and so does the employers. Win win. It is a good biz opportunity right there, part time maid for hire. Relatives/support group pooling their efforts, rotating and taking turns to care for the young, sickly and elderly. It is not possible to do it alone. It takes a village. There are many ways to skin a cat. There is no need to always go for the easiest, most expedient way, the LCD (lowest common denominator).
Who said anything about no breaks? We are just talking about legally enforced days off here....I do not see myself tolling year round for my family without a break. Hence I will not impose it on someone else. I won't be a good mother and wife if my mind and body do not get the rest it deserves.
I see it how it is... A society with a thriving maid industry. A human society which inevitably will only strive for self beneficial good like the rest of the western world.TS, what kind of society do you envision SG to be? One that aspires for higher good or one that looks for the easiest way out? It is not always about moral. It is about the kind of atmosphere you want to build for yourself and the community you live in.
I think we have our wires crossed... my post was directed purely at SMS.earthfriendly wrote:I have never implied that! Unless you are in the top 5 % of the population, most people have to really watch their budget. And many Americans carry large debts. It is not always about money! No money, no problem. Like I said the community/family can pool their time and resources together, without dishing out a single cent, taking turns to take care of those who need help. Or wait a minute, it is much easier and quicker to make the maid do their dirty work for them and no day off for the maids. At the end of the day, this is your life. You actually have more control over it than you think. And you get to decide what priorities are important to you in your lives.Tigerslayer wrote:
You make it sound like there is a thriving opportunities for jobs that cover expenses out there for anyone that needs them. Again i am surprised I get called rose tinted because frankly if you are employed you should consider yourself lucky in the current climate... More so if you happen not to hold the correct certificates and experience....
There are many people around me who do not exploit and will strive to do the right thing, friends and family. Time to change out the friends/relatives if their value crash too much with yours. You actually have more control than you ever know, you do not have to accept unacceptable behaviours. You can let people know what you will and will not stand for. The ball is in your court.Tigerslayer wrote: Humanity will always be based on a system of rich exploiting poor and while we all look down our noses at the elements which are 'too obvious to ignore' we happily consume every drip of exploitation available.
Oh, you can sigh all you want. Maybe, you should go back and not just read my replies, but reread your statements more carefully, as they are what provoke the replies, aren't they? Of course, if this thread is anything go by, you wont see the forest cause of the big trees in your way. I'm not trying to pigeon-hole you. You are doing it to yourself.Tigerslayer wrote:I think most people assume a picture of a healthy happy family with a take it or leave it maid which they become dependent on for pure laziness.... While I am sure this occurs more often than it should there is another side to this discussion.
There are also families with heavily disabled family members where a maid is critical to ensure full time care is provided. Providing additional days off can be catastrophic for their living. Especially in families which to afford the maid in the first place need to work 6-7 days a week themselves and have their own commitments.
From this point on, it would seem to me and everybody else who has responded thus far, that your thought processes stem from the fact that you think there is a way that it is "Okay" to treat another human like a slave. You seem to project that it is okay to subject another human to the hirers same brand of misery just because they are employed by that person. It's NOT okay and this is what we all are railing about.
Maids generally know the basic terms of their agreement before entering into their contract including limited off days. I despise the stories of ill treated maids but this is different and forcing a change on families in situations where they truly are dependent on their helper would be in my opinion very much misguided and potentially unwanted on both sides.
Maids RARELY know the basic terms of their agreements. In fact, most cannot even read English let alone understand it. They are also normally told that, according to the Philippines POEA and the equivalent Indonesian Authority, they DO have one day off per week. It's only AFTER the arrive in Singapore, and having already signed the bond and "loan" which keeps them a prisoner for 6 to 9 months, further indebting both them and their families, that they realize that they have been duped by unscrupulous agents working hand in hand with their Singaporean agent counterparts. Once they are here, they are pretty much stuck and only pray they are treated that they are treated like humans. It's pretty well known that if they end up with local owners/bosses that there is a very good chance they will be treated like cur dogs and made to do 18 hrs of work a day 7 days a week and be lucky to get one day off a month.
You give far too much credit to the abilities of some of the maids here. They aren't trained nor advised how it's going to be, or they don't believe that it's going to be exactly as they've heard about. That is why Singapore is the last choice destination for most of them. The pay sucks and the treatment, worst. It's pretty common knowledge, but not too surprising you are still in a state of denial. Not all employers are like this but a significant percentage of them are, hence the tar tends to stick when the percentages are higher than other countries - much the same as kiasuism - Then all get tarred with the same brush.
Tigerslayer wrote:Since the entire developed world is based on exploiting the poor
Define 'poor'? People who start poor and work up*, or people who are perpetually poor? Anyway, I believe you can lead a life that exploits nobody if you have the means and/or will to do so.
Even 'Fair Trade' has become a brand rather than an ideal.
Agreed, but one for a new topic maybe. Fairtrade is in several ways really quite evil. Not least that farmers have to have the assets to form a recognised collective, from which the 'real poor' are excluded.
* The US for example has a lot of people categorised at any point in time as 'poor'. However their opportunity and route to rise from that is probably unprecedented.
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