Problems of migrant workers

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