“CDE [Centre for Domestic Employees] is my home and family for almost three months. Thank you is not worth enough for all the things you did. Priceless … From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much,” said Hazel, in a text message to one of CDE’s staff.
She is a Filipino foreign domestic worker whom the centre sheltered while her case was undergoing police investigations.
Hazel is not alone in receiving aid from CDE. The centre has attended to 517 cases, and helped resolve 83 per cent of them, while the rest are ongoing. The centre has also sheltered 110 domestic employees since opening its doors in January last year.
The figures were revealed in a social report card released at the centre’s one year anniversary celebrations held at the Singapore Flyer Event Hall on 22 January 2017.
The three most common issues by domestic workers were salary disputes, requests for transfer of employer and physical abuse, which collectively constituted nearly 50 per cent of the total number of cases the centre handled in 2016.
Among those CDE assisted, 28.4 per cent were Indonesian, 18.5 per cent were Myanmarese, 17.2 per cent were Filipinos and 9.2 per cent were Indian. A majority of these cases came through the centre’s 24-hour helpline.
Call for E-Payment
Speaking at the sidelines of the anniversary celebrations, NTUC Assistant Director General (ADG) and CDE Chairman Yeo Guat Kwang highlighted that it should be mandatory for employers to pay their domestic employees electronically, adding that currently, salary disputes arise as there is no standardised wage payment system.
“Some employers act as the banker and help the agencies to collect loan repayments and some help employees safe-keep the money, which I think is not desirable … CDE is now working with financial institutions like banks and financial associations to find out how we can come up with a better structure that can help domestic employers and employees resolve this,” said ADG Yeo.
Future Plans
Key milestones for the upcoming year will include launching an industry survey to understand the issues and concerns facing FDWs and employers on February 2017, and the opening of a new shelter that will increase the centre’s capacity to house foreign domestic workers from 50 to about 150 at any one time.
Handy Guides for a Healthier Working Relationship
Reflecting on the past year, the centre has learned that a healthy employer-employee relationship reduces the possibility of issues and conflicts.
“Having a healthy relationship is the cornerstone of any employment arrangement. Likewise in the case of FDWs (Foreign Domestic Worker) and their employers, a healthy relationship can help reduce the possibility of miscommunication and misunderstanding,” said CDE Executive Director Shamsul Kamar.
To promote better relationships, the centre launched the first of its Handy Guides series at its celebrations. The guidebooks aim to bridge the cultural divide between the employer and domestic employee. The guidebooks are available in four different bilingual versions of English along with Indonesian, Burmese, Tagalog and Tamil.
“With the Handy Guides series, CDE wants to reinforce and promote the need for a healthier relationship between both FDWs and their employers,” added Mr Shamsul.
The guidebooks are available at CDE’s office or online at www.cde.org.sg.
