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The Centre for Domestic Employees provides alternative location for domestic workers to enjoy their rest days
Many women shoulder caregiving responsibilities and they often face challenges managing the demands of work and family. In Singapore, housework and family care are cited as some of the main reasons for women to leave their jobs1. Thus, live-in domestic help has become a necessity for many working women, with at least one in five Singaporean families hiring a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW). With this growing trend, a harmonious employer-employee relationship is important so that FDWs can have a good working environment and employers can have reliable help for their homes. In this vein, the NTUC Women & Family Unit (WAF) and Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) will be organising free monthly advisory clinics for NTUC members to seek advice on matters regarding the employment of their FDWs.
These advisory clinics will serve as a platform for members to better understand their responsibilities as an employer so they can build a strong rapport with their FDWs. The first advisory clinic was held today at NTUC Centre, where members also met Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Labour Member of Parliament and Director of WAF. NTUC members may visit http://bit.ly/WAFxCDEAdvisoryClinic for more information on upcoming advisory clinics.
In the coming months, WAF – together with social enterprises NTUC Health and NTUC First Campus – will be looking at ways to better support our members in the caregiving of young children and the elderly. More details will be provided at a later date.
Ms Yeo said, “For many women, having adequate, dependable caregiving support at home is key to having a peace of mind at work. Currently, there are few avenues, like CDE, for employers to get information and advice on FDW-related matters. Through these advisory clinics, we hope to foster a harmonious relationship between employers and their FDWs. This initiative is part of efforts by WAF to strengthen the caregiving ecosystem to support working women so they are empowered to pursue their career aspirations, whatever they may be.”
Mr Shamsul Kamar, Executive Director, CDE, said, “Our aim through this initiative is to encourage employers and FDWs to make mutual efforts to communicate with each other, understand each other better and ultimately, foster closer harmonious relationships between them. With good support at home from our FDW, our employers will be able to go out and work with a peace of mind knowing that their homes are well taken care of. CDE understands that our employers may need support in handling some issues regarding their FDWs hence, we are here to help. We strive to be the bridge between employers and FDWs to help them understand each other’s perspectives better. Hopefully, employers who are NTUC members will gain some useful insights out of the clinics and strive towards building up the employment relationship with their FDWs.”
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