Singapore - Civil society groups plan to launch a website Thursday as part of a yearlong campaign to persuade Singapore employers to give maids at least one day off each month. The city-state's 180,000 foreign domestic workers are excluded from the Employment Act, which stipulates minimum days off and maximum weekly working hours.
The National Committee for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Transient Workers Count Too and the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics said Wednesday that the website would include suggestions on how employers can make adjustments so their maids get time off.
The groups also plan activities to raise public awareness of the maids' plight.
"We hope that it will become second nature for employers to give their maids rest days," said Saleemah Ismaid, president of Singapore's UNIFEM branch.
The maids come primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The Indonesian embassy reports it received about 30 calls daily from maids complaining that they do not get a day off.
The maids are covered under regulations requiring employers to look after their well-being, including adequate rest.
A standard maid contract that emerged from the Association of Employment Agencies in 2006 stipulates a compulsory day off every month or cash.
Foreign maids in Singapore earn less than their counterparts in other Asian countries. Indonesian and Sri Lankan maids are paid 280 Singapore dollars (190 US dollars) a month, and those from the Philippines up to 350 Singapore dollars while maids in Hong Kong and Taiwan earn about 482 US dollars and 524 US dollars, respectively.
