By Fawwaz Baktee
According to the Centre for Domestic Employee’s 100-day report card released on 4 May 2016, about 75 out of the 100 cases it handled since it opened on 24 January 2016 were on employment advice, while the rest were on employment disputes and mistreatment.
To minimise salary-related disputes, CDE has called for a transparent cost structure that shows the breakdown of costs and charges, allowing both the foreign domestic employee and employer to be fully aware of the fees involved before entering into an employment contract.
"It is important for us to sort out the [cost] structure, so that everyone who comes to Singapore to work knows exactly how much it will cost them, and employers looking for good domestic helpers will also know how much they should pay for the service to hire them," said CDE Chairman Yeo Guat Kwang.
Additionally, CDE encouraged employers to open a bank account for their foreign domestic employees where their salaries should be directly credited into. This would further minimise salary non-payment disputes as it serves as a form of salary record.
Boosting Training
To address the issue of inadequate training of foreign domestic workers (FDWs), CDE also recommended a skills training and certification framework modelled after Singapore’s Workforce Skills Qualifications.
Under the skills training and certification framework, CDE is recommending to certify FDWs in areas such as conversational English, housekeeping, cooking, laundry and eldercare.
“Many employers have given feedback that the skills of their employees do not meet their expectations. We hope with this framework, the training of FDWs at their home countries will become more structured and relevant,” said Mr Yeo.
Both the skills framework and transparent cost structure initiatives are currently being worked out by the CDE and stakeholders, namely the Association of Employment Agencies Singapore and the Singapore Accredited Employment Agencies Association.
Further measures
To not overburden employers when hospital bills exceed the insurance payout amount when domestic employees are hospitalised, CDE also encouraged employers to take up medical insurance schemes which provide higher coverage for domestic employees beyond the minimum $15,000 per year. The centre also urged employment agencies to highlight to employers the various insurance schemes available.
“From what we have gathered from the ground, more can definitely be done in helping our domestic employees and their employers. While CDE is taking an upstream approach to help mitigate these issues at the source, a community-wide effort is required to help improve the domestic employment landscape,” said Mr Yeo.
CDE also announced that it will launch a mobile centre to reach FDWs at various community areas to strengthen its outreach and will soon commission a survey to better understand the needs of FDWs in Singapore.
A Domestic Employees Welfare Fund will also be set up to ensure the centre’s financial sustainability and proper governance in the delivery of its services.
Source: NTUC This Week
