'Sign a legal contract when hiring a maid'

'Sign a legal contract when hiring a maid'

The absence of regulations governing domestic service agencies,
housemaids and employers has contributed to the rising cases of
robberies involving domestic helpers. Despite the fact that there
are around 63 domestic service agencies in the city that have
placed more than 6,000 maids, they are not bound to any
employment contracts. The Jakarta Post talked to several people
on the issue.

Agustinus Rohadi, 33, is a junior high school teacher at an
international school in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. He resides in
Bekasi with his wife and two children:

I don't employ any housemaids since I fired my maid last year
for stealing some belongings and money. She was caught red-
handed. The agency took her home then.

After the incident, my wife quit her job to look after our
small children and manage the household chores.

I don't trust the domestic service agencies anymore because
I've also had another bad experience. Once, I hired a maid from
the agency, but she quit her job after working just two days. She
said she did not feel at home, and the agency had forced her to
take the job.

Unfortunately, the agency did not want to take the
responsibility, saying that it was outside the conditions of the
signed agreement.

I believe that the agreement has no legalities to comply with
in the terms of agreement. So, I guess the agreement is nothing
but a sort of bill after a certain transaction. As a result, the
agency could wash their hands of any irregularities.

The agency just said in the agreement that if the maid had
left for an unclear reason, it would replace her with another
maid or reimburse the three-month down payment.

But the problem is not that simple, is it? I suspect that
there is a conspiracy between the maids and the placement agency.

Even so, I could understand to the extent to which the
continuing economic hardship has forced unskilled laborers like
housemaids to resort to crime in order to make instant earnings.

I think there should be a legal agreement involving the
agency, the housemaid and the employer in a bid to avoid
irresponsibility. Perhaps the legal agreement will consequently
raise the fees for the maid, but it doesn't matter as long as
there is legal certainty.

Diah Massardi, 40, is a director of an advertising agency in
South Jakarta. She resides in Bekasi with her husband and two
children:

I hired a domestic helper twice through a domestic service
agency, but both ended in nightmares.

I was impressed with the first housemaid, as she worked hard
and was a very good cook. But after a week, she quit my house
taking valuable belongings and money with her. She took the
branded goods.

I complained about her to the agency, but it did not want to
take any responsibility for the theft. The agency then replaced
her with another maid as I threatened to expose the incident to
the mass media. But she also left the house a few days later.

Because of this experience, I decided to hire a baby-sitter
from a reliable agency. The agency is more professional, as their
agreement sets the salary and the rights of the helper. The baby-
sitter has worked for me for more than eight years, and I find
her to be reliable.

Of course, I have to pay a monthly salary that is higher than
a normal worker's standard minimum wage. She also gets a two-day
holiday every month. Fortunately, she is trustworthy.

I guess it would be better for domestic service agencies to
use legal and reliable agreements like this baby-sitter agency's.
Otherwise, the image of the domestic service agencies will only
get worse because of their bad track records.

Above all, I guess employers should not blame only their
domestic helpers for being dishonest. The way employers treat
their maids and the meager salary they give are also factors
which provoke the maids to behave badly.

Housemaids are also human beings who deserve to be treated
properly and to receive reasonable salaries. Of course, the
employer should also look through the maid's personal background
and track record before hiring her.

As added security, I provide the security officers with the
maid's identification, just in case.

Ira, 27, works at a private company in South Jakarta. She
resides in Rempoa, South Jakarta, with her family:

Upon hearing of my friends' experiences with their housemaids,
I completely agree with the idea of making work agreements
involving the domestic service agency, the housemaid and the
employer.

Otherwise, the agencies will never be responsible for their
maids' actions, and will simply ignore the employers' complaints.

I believe, in a way, that it is now very difficult to find
trustworthy domestic helpers, but this doesn't mean that there
are no reliable and honest housemaids.

Personally, I don't trust such agencies. If we need a domestic
helper, we should get someone familiar, someone we already know.

Fortunately, every person in my family has their own share of
the household chores, so we've been able to take care of
everything ourselves. -- Leo Wahyudi S.