Veteran labour leader Halimah Yacob recently called for the legislation of weekly days off for maids working in Singapore. This has sparked off an intense debate amongst Singaporeans. In your opinion, should the giving of weekly days off be legislated in Singapore?
Post your 300 word response on your blog.
In my opinion, the giving of weekly days off should not be legislated in Singapore and should be decided within each family. For example, if a maid has been working very long for a family and has grown close to them, and if the family treats her as part of the family and even takes her out with them for dinner or takes her along wherever they go, she would not feel stressed working for them and would not require a day off, and both parties would be happy with the decision (maid and family). Many families allow their maids to mingle in the evening with other maids when they take their pets for a walk or accompany the elderly for a healthy walk, and this is also a form of a short break, which should be enough for the maids. On the other hand, if a family is very strict with their maids, working their maids over the limit and taking away their freedom, then these maids deserve a break and these maids should approach their “Madame” to discuss on appropriate breaks. However, if the “Madame” is stubborn and refuses to give the maids any rest at all, then I believe that the maid would be independent enough to request a change in environment from the maid agency. In many cases, families have to have maids all the time because they need someone to take care of the elderly who are not independent. It is not that the working adults are not filial, it is just that they are simply too busy with their work to be able to find time to take care of their parents. Unfilial working adults would dump their parents in any old folks home and not care about them anymore, while filial working adults would choose a maid to take care of and accompany their parents. If the giving of weekly days off for maids is legislated in Singapore, it would disadvantage many families. For example, working mothers with newborns and preschool kids will not be able to rest over the weekend if they have to take care of the kids fully. Families with handicapped adults or elderly will not be able to manage on their own. These people truly need a helper to take care of the elderly and help out in housework all the time.
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