Stories of Transient Workers in Singapore

Jack-of-maids

It had been a year since I moved into MOM’s Keramat Dormitory. That was a year of no work and no income, while my family struggles to make ends meet back in the Philippines. My troubles began when my first 2 assignments did not work out, and my employers returned me to the agency. Without an assignment, the agency made me help out in the office as an errand girl, but it was a thankless job, I was neither paid nor appreciated. When my employer requested that I stand in for a maid who was away, I jumped at the opportunity to finally begin work, but the 2 weeks went by in a flash, yet I still did not receive any pay. I became convinced the only way to escape this limbo was to report the case to MOM, but I simply moved from one limbo to another, with the legal proceedings of this case, I will be trapped in Singapore without a work permit for a long time.

Footnote:

This story depicts the violation of article 23 of the UDHR, which list the rights to work under favourable conditions and protection from unemployment. The maid in the story is used as a standin for other maids without properly receiving pay or a regular job. The failure of the maid agency in providing a job for the maid is clearly evident in the story, and this is clearly unacceptable. As the maid agency is responsible for finding work for the maid, this failure clearly shows the inadequacy of the maid agency, while highlighting the fact that we could do with much more improvement.