Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Wanita MCA wants more maid agency-client rapport

The Star News: Sunday June 14, 2009

PETALING JAYA: In view of the increasing cases of abuse, Wanita MCA has proposed that maid agencies talk to their clients regularly to know how the maids are getting on.

Its chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said this would allow the agencies to get a better picture of what was going on in the household.

“Maid agencies should pay at least two visits to the maids in a year,” she said in a statement.

She added that during the visits, the maids should be allowed to communicate in private with the agents for at least 30 minutes without the presence of the employers. “This is to monitor the maids’ social well-being,” she said.

The same should be done with the employers to get an assessment of the maids’ performance and a better understanding of their expectations of their maids, she added.

Chew said such an approach would protect the maids and employers and reduce the cases of runaway maids or abuse.

“Through this, the shared responsibilities of the maids’ welfare are placed on both the employers and agencies,” she said.

She suggested that employers have the right to change a new maid without being penalised if the maid had under-performed even after the six-month trial period.

The latest victim of maid abuse involved Indonesian Siti Hajar, who escaped to the Indonesian Embassy last week.

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