Slave labour?

A survey of foreign maids' employment conditions in Singapore by the Straits Times revealed that their average monthly pay is just S$261 (HK$1,194), typical working hours are from 6am to 9pm (with three in 10 reporting that they do not get breaks) and half do not even get one day off per month. Yet 82 per cent said they were happy with how they were treated by their employers. Are they mad or is life so bad in their home country?

The newspaper also asked how many meals a day they were getting (three, but not necessarily the same food as their employers) and whether they had a proper bed with blankets and pillows (most, but not all, did). But this begs the question: should employers be regulated or trained and be regularly surveyed by an employment agency?

Live-in maids have been deemed a necessity by many busy Singaporeans. With a lack of nurseries for children under 18 months and both parents working full-time, the 140,000 foreign maids play an increasingly important role in the household.

But they have little in the way of rights. Earlier this year, some maids were even displayed in shop windows by agencies, so that prospective employers could take their pick. The Manpower Ministry quickly intervened, saying such displays were 'unacceptable practices' and infringed on the Employment Agencies Act. But the fact that many agencies - and Singaporeans - found nothing wrong does raise eyebrows. The abuse of maids, whether physical or verbal, has been a major concern for the ministry, even though the actual number of cases brought to the courts is small. In the survey, about three in 10 say they have been shouted at by family members; one in a 100 says they have been physically abused.

Now, a group of professionals is trying to improve maids' working and living conditions, pushing for a minimum monthly wage of $S300-$350 to apply equally across all races. A discriminatory pecking order presently exists for salaries - apparently based on ability to speak English - with Filipinas at the upper end and Indonesians at the bottom. Many cost-conscious Singaporeans are against any pay rise, especially given the difficult economic environment. Moreover, there is a general perception that maids cannot be trusted and therefore do not deserve higher salaries.

It is true that there are cases of maids taking advantage of their employers, harming children or prostituting themselves on the side to earn more money. But the reality is that you get what you pay for. With salaries so low and worker rights nearly non-existent, it is not surprising that some maids try to take advantage of the situation.