Seasonal housemaids reap benefit of the holidays

Seasonal housemaids reap benefit of the holidays

P.C. Naommy, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Friday was a day of never-ending phone calls for Ruminah, 33, who
has run her domestic help agency for 14 years. She said the
demand for temporary or permanent housemaids has reached almost
one thousand as many people's housemaids have not come back from
spending the long Idul Fitri holiday in their hometowns.

"This is from my agency only," she emphasized. "I have run out
of potential workers now. They (employers) will have to wait
until Dec.1 when the new housemaids come."

This high demand is in fact an opportunity for more than one
thousand women from rural villages from around Java and Lampung
to earn extra money by working as seasonal housemaids in Greater
Jakarta channeled by several agencies.

Seasonal housemaids are paid between Rp 30,000 (US$3.5) and Rp
50,000 a day for a maximum two-week contract, more than twice a
temporary housemaid's monthly wage of Rp 300,000.

"My village is quiet during the holiday and I have nothing to
do, so better that I come to Jakarta to work as a seasonal maid,"
said Lis, 35, a single mother of five children from Cipongkol, a
suburb of Bandung.

Since her husband died in 1995, Lis has to keep the ball
rolling. "This is my opportunity to earn extra money," said Lis
who is usually a farmer.

Unfortunately, Lis became ill after eating leftover soup and
will not be able to finish her contract, although she has only
two working days left.

"I should be taking home Rp 400,000, but since I cannot finish
my contract I can only bring home Rp 320,000."

Kasmah, 30, originally from Malimping, Banten, West Java, came
to Ruminah's agency which is located on Jl. Puri Mutiara I,
Cipete, South Jakarta, on Thursday, "I had to return to Jakarta
earlier than intended because our money was running out." Kasmah
explained that she works as a housemaid to help her husband, a
farmer, provide for her family.

Kasmah brought her cousin, Fatmawati, 21, and three other
girls from her hometown with her to Jakarta, "They also want to
work as housemaids," she said.

At another agency in Depok, South Jakarta, Bambang, said that
the demand for seasonal maids reached 500 this year. "I never
thought that the demand would be so high," he said, adding that
demand usually peaked one week before the holiday.

Bambang said that he was still waiting for more new housemaids
from his recruitment agents in Central Java, West Java, and
Lampung because just two days after the holiday all 500 women on
his books had been employed.

According to Ruminah, potential employers must pay an
administration fee of Rp 265,000, half of which goes to the agent
who referred the maids to Jakarta.

To satisfy customers, Bambang said, should seasonal maids fail
to complete their contracts the agency will provide a
replacement.

"We will also monitor the housemaids, and ask them to call us
if they receive any abusive treatment from their employers," he
said.