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.