There are certain limitations to what we can expect from workers’ roles because they, too, have their own lives to live. Failing to perform one’s duty at work is an inexcusable act, but looking at others as nothing more than the role they perform is equally inexcusable.
Unfortunately, some people don’t see that on plain view and disregard the contributions domestic workers bring to the table as an important part of the household.
Employers Accuse Foreign Maid of Negligence, Want Her Banned from Working in Sg
In a letter written by a 35-year old Singaporean woman to a local newspaper detailing the story of how their domestic helper was negligent in taking care of their two-year old daughter, the woman unfairly expressed her issue with her helper and requested from the Ministry of Manpower that the domestic helper be banned from entering Singapore as a domestic worker ever again, according to a report by the Shin Min Daily News.
The woman who goes by her surname Yang had employed the foreign domestic worker via an employment agency two-and-a-half years ago to take care of their newborn daughter at the time.
Since then, Yang noted that the worker had been diligent and reliable up until an incident on March 8, which had been recorded on CCTV at the family’s residence.
While Yang was out to attend a job interview, the domestic worker was instructed to look after the two-year old toddler alone. Later, as seen on the CCTV footage, the worker was seen leaving the apartment with the sleeping toddler unattended inside her room.
Shortly after, the child woke up obviously in distress upon realizing that the worker was nowhere to be found in the apartment. The maid as per the CCTV footage only returned to the flat seven minutes later.
Based on the mother’s account, there was a bucket full of water in the living room, and the kitchen window was left open. Either from which, she says, her daughter could have died if she stumbled on any of them, because there was no one to look after her at the time.
Later that day, the couple confronted their domestic worker, who allegedly did not apologize, but only requested to be sent back home.
Upon bringing the worker to the airport, the couple were allegedly threatened by a “strongly-built” man who demanded that they pay the worker the outstanding wages of SGD 330 for working for 23 days that month.
Following this incident, the couple requested from the Ministry of Manpower to permanently ban the domestic helper from working in the country, but were refused by the Ministry owing to investigation reports that the maid had not posed any actual threat to the well-being of the child.
Nonetheless, authorities have signed up Yang’s husband as a referee to be contacted by any person who would like to hire the domestic helper in the future.