Problems of migrant workers
We refer to the report Singapore a killing field for RI migrant workers (The Jakarta Post, May 16) and the Singapore Embassy's reply to that article on May 25 . Allow us to contribute another perspective as Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) - a Singapore NGO engaged with this issue.
Firstly, we feel that The Jakarta Post's headline is a gross overstatement attached to an otherwise relatively fair account of the study done on Indonesian domestic workers who have returned from Singapore.
TWC2, with other organizations in Singapore, a growing number of citizens, the government and foreign embassies, have been working to improve conditions for domestic workers of various nationalities. Things are improving, albeit sometimes too slowly and we wish it could be better.
TWC2 does recognize that Indonesian domestic workers are, currently and generally, the lowest paid and most vulnerable to mistreatment. We believe that a limit on working hours, a day off every week, minimum wages and a clear outline of duties are all crucial aspects of a standard contract that needs to be agreed upon between the employer and the foreign domestic worker before they enter into a working relationship. It is our hope that the various agencies in Singapore and in Indonesia can work toward achieving this goal, perhaps following the example of a country like Jordan that has implemented standard contracts.
TWC2 believes Indonesian foreign domestic workers should be made more aware of the different kinds of work they will be expected to do and also be more empowered through adequate training before they leave Indonesia. Apart from imparting the necessary housekeeping skills to these young women, the training should include counseling them on their rights and teaching them to be assertive about them. In general, it would be best to persuade Indonesian families, as far as possible, not to support the recruitment of their daughters as domestic workers until they are more mature and self-confident young women.
Lastly, TWC 2 would like to say that there are also among us, many good employers who have stepped beyond their roles as employers to help foreign domestic workers.
Our website is www.twc2.org.sg.
BRAEMA MATHI Chairperson, Transient Workers Count Too Singapore