Singapore Expats

Barnsley wrote:

morenangpinay wrote:The masters seem to think they would die without a domestic helper because taking care of their own kids for 1 day will be such a chore.

Plus they can see the future.. the FDW will fall into bad company and get pregnant if they get a day off.

Thats what I couldnt understand from a lot of the postings I read, it appeared that most were lamenting the fact that they would have to look after their children themselves.
Its a very odd mindset that they have.

lol. My sentiments exactly. It's like they feel put out to have to look after their own kids. I can understand if you have 2/3 kids and have to work, but if you don't work get off your lazy arse, cut down on the social lunches and do what's right for your children.

Heaven forbid!

From the MEMEMEMEME generation?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... e-ago.html

Its caught on in the UK as well.

Barnsley wrote:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... e-ago.html

Its caught on in the UK as well.

I'm not sure that your comment is justified. Just because it is becoming more acceptable to pay some-one to clean your house than to do it yourself doesn't necessarily mean that you're a slave driver cum poor employer.

Having a cleaner has a multitude of benefits both for the employer and the employee. I always insist on living in accommodation where there is a cleaner as that is an easy way of solving the "you didn't clean up after yourself" or "you didn't clean x properly" argument as well as knowing that I prefer my leisure time to be spent doing leisure things and not cleaning!

carteki wrote:

Barnsley wrote:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... e-ago.html

Its caught on in the UK as well.

I'm not sure that your comment is justified. Just because it is becoming more acceptable to pay some-one to clean your house than to do it yourself doesn't necessarily mean that you're a slave driver cum poor employer.

Having a cleaner has a multitude of benefits both for the employer and the employee. I always insist on living in accommodation where there is a cleaner as that is an easy way of solving the "you didn't clean up after yourself" or "you didn't clean x properly" argument as well as knowing that I prefer my leisure time to be spent doing leisure things and not cleaning!

I agree. At least cleaners in the UK get the minimum hourly wage and some respect!

morenangpinay wrote:The masters seem to think they would die without a domestic helper because taking care of their own kids for 1 day will be such a chore.

Plus they can see the future.. the FDW will fall into bad company and get pregnant if they get a day off.

You're generalizing. Just because you don't or never employ FDW don't make you or others better or worse. It just makes you - most probably - ignorant about the real situation and issues.

I employ FDW. We treat our FDW decently - she sleeps in the extra room that we have (instead of so called "+1" room), get enough sleep, free to go out (as long as she told us so we can prepare ourselves - just the way we ask our children to) etc etc. But the issue is that the govt made (and to some extent still make) the employer responsible for the behavior of the FDW while in Singapore. The new law 2 or 3 years ago made it more palatable (ie bond is not anymore for guaranteeing if FDW got pregnant). But we are still responsible if they work part time while on supposedly day off - so what gives? We have to have a way to enforce that.

Granted there are bad apples on both sides (employer and employee. But making it a law has only raised more question: who will enforce the law and how will the law be enforced? Even now there has been quite a few false accusations to the employer.

As far as me and my family are concerned, we have FDW from our country, we treat them better and pay them better than they would otherwise be in the home country. And I don't think I need a law to make me a human - I treat them as employee who knows roles and responsibility - with facilities and wages that are known and mutually agreed. After all, no law (afaik) has been enacted to give us saturday and sunday day off, has there?

And don't get me to talk about the issues - for example, on how or where these young / older folks will be productive otherwise, if they are not doing what they are doing. We can talk about it long and winded, for hours (I argued these things in so many old posts here and on the other board) but it is not as simple as you seem to think.

DimWit Kid wrote: After all, no law (afaik) has been enacted to give us saturday and sunday day off, has there?

If you are a low wage worker in Singapore, yes there is (not Saturday AND Sunday, but you are protected by "The Employment Act" regarding number of hours worked per week/day as well as to the number of rest days and annual leave and so forth. Of course, if you are NOT a worker but a Manager, you are considered smart enough to read your own contract and deduce whether it's something you can live with or not. Workers, on the other hand need the full protection of the law from unscrupulous employers. And employers know the risks before they hire workers as their liabilities are clearly stated out so if they do, then they must either accept those risks as part and parcel of the package OR then can hire locals domestics who are employees of somebody else or self employed.

you're

dunno why that one irks me so...

anyway, anything less than 1 day off a week is barbaric, cruel and selfish

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Afraid your wrong JR8. Moral law doesn't apply in Singapore.

its

that one bugs me too

intime0 wrote:Where do I sign up for mom's not doing anything for the first month? I'll just nurse and sleep, thanks. But leave the baby with me! you may change it's diaper. LOL that's the life!

Brah wrote:you're

dunno why that one irks me so...

anyway, anything less than 1 day off a week is barbaric, cruel and selfish

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Afraid your wrong JR8. Moral law doesn't apply in Singapore.

Well, I don't know if it is "barbaric, cruel and selfish" as there are many in this world that toil seven days per week, and for a mere pittance.

However, one should align labor practices with the relative wealth of the country, and that means for a country that works a five or five and 1/2 day week, one day off is a reasonable accommodation.

I was interested to see that the Employment Act includes...

"domestic worker" means any house, stable or garden servant or motor car driver, employed in or in connection with the domestic services of any private premises;

Statute tends not to mince words I suppose!

You must remember, most of the statutes were taken from the British Colonials so would reflect their mentalities of the times. As most of the lawmakers in parliament today (well, until last month anyway) were around since that time, they probably still think like a typical Col. Bagshot!

sundaymorningstaple wrote:You must remember, most of the statutes were taken from the British Colonials so would reflect their mentalities of the times. As most of the lawmakers in parliament today (well, until last month anyway) were around since that time, they probably still think like a typical Col. Bagshot!

Thank heavens statute law doesn't make room for political correctness. Cripes, where would we be then?

'The fine for infringement is up to $1,000, but if the defendent grew up in a single parent household with a parent from an ethnic minority then they will receive a slap on the wrist'.

I think the reason British based law prevails over large parts of the world, is similar to the use of the English language.

Simply put, it does the job well, better than any other.

Though as I yank I know that must stick in the craw (as you lot are wont to say)

agree but we're talking Singapore here and last I checked Singapore isn't one of those places

Strong Eagle wrote:

Brah wrote:you're
anyway, anything less than 1 day off a week is barbaric, cruel and selfish

Well, I don't know if it is "barbaric, cruel and selfish" as there are many in this world that toil seven days per week, and for a mere pittance.

JR8 wrote: I think the reason British based law prevails over large parts of the world, is similar to the use of the English language.

Simply put, it does the job well, better than any other.

Though as I yank I know that must stick in the craw (as you lot are wont to say)

I may agree the British based law does a good job and this is the reason why it remains around but for the language it is likely purely pragmatic consequence of the colonial past. For a number of objective reasons I would rather see (i.e.) German than English as the world language.