Response to Mediacorp Channel U's Series City Spotlight (Episode 4)

11 May 2022

A few weeks ago, episode 4 of City Spotlight, which was aired on Mediacorp Channel U, depicted several employers and the issues that they faced with their migrant domestic workers (MDWs). Here, we set out our responses to some of these narratives and situations, as well as proposed solutions to address some of these issues.  

General comments
As with any employment situation, there are employees who fall short of their employer’s expectations. MDWs may make mistakes and run afoul of the law. However, sensationalising and dramatising such behaviour without receiving responses from the MDWs, or considering their narratives, perpetuates unfair stereotypes about MDWs and creates distrust between employers and MDWs.

HOME encourages open communication and dialogue between employers and MDWs to resolve differences and conflict. If either party decides that the employment relationship can no longer continue, then parties should terminate the employment respectfully, with ample notice given.

The episode questions whether employers should rely on luck to find good MDWs. However, due to the lack of strong labour protections, living and working conditions vary vastly between different employers, and many MDWs similarly attribute finding good, respectful employers to luck.

As pointed out in the episode, employers and agencies are able to look up a MDW’s employment history, including the reasons for leaving her employment. However, there is no similar chance for MDWs to do so with employers. Many MDWs enter working situations that are different from what is promised to them by the prospective employers and agents, as they are left to rely on verbal assurances on their employment conditions. Employers are also allowed to leave feedback on MDWs they have hired, with no similar option given to MDWs on their previous employers.

The episode highlighted several acts committed by MDWs, including borrowing from unlicensed moneylenders and moonlighting by engaging in sex work. We must be aware that there are systemic issues related to the living and working conditions of MDWs that underlie many of the situations that have been highlighted in the episode.

Borrowing money from illegal moneylenders and moonlighting 

In the episode, the first featured employer had a MDW who borrowed money from an unlicensed moneylender. Engaging with illegal moneylenders often comes with grave consequences, including threats and property damage when the borrowed amount is not repaid. No family should be subject to these dangerous and stressful situations.

At the same time, we must also be aware of issues that drive MDWs to borrow from unlicensed moneylenders. MDWs typically earn low salaries; and with no minimum wage in Singapore, their income is often determined by factors such as their nationality and work experience.

MDWs sometimes face pressures to send money home to assist with their families' finances (as was the case in the episode), or with sudden emergencies relating to education, health or reconstruction of their houses in times of natural disasters. Some of these MDWs may still be repaying loans brought about by recruitment fees.

On occasion, HOME has also encountered MDWs who have stated that they turned to moneylenders due to untimely payment of salaries by their employers.

Similarly, some MDWs may turn to moonlighting, including sex work, to earn extra money to supplement their income. While illegal, many are willing to take the risk to earn the extra income if their salaries are insufficient to support themselves or their families.

Underage workers

In the documentary, one MDW was found to be engaging in activities that could compromise the privacy and safety of her employer and her two young children. Such behaviours cannot be condoned. It was also revealed that the MDW was underaged. Sometimes, unscrupulous agents in the MDWs’ home countries falsify passports so that MDWs appear to be older than 23, which is the minimum required age for a MDW to work in Singapore.

MDWs who are underaged are sometimes unaware that they are working illegally, and those who are caught may be barred from seeking further employment. This is a harsh outcome for marginalised, impoverished women who wish to earn a living and better their families’ lives.

Use of social media

A MDW’s seemingly excessive use of social media was also discussed in the episode. MDWs also often take to social media as an outlet for the isolation and loneliness that they face. MDWs often work long hours, and are isolated from the community at large as they live and work in their employers’ homes. MDWs therefore use social media as a means to connect with their fellow migrant workers, and as a form of self-expression. Often defined solely within the confines of their roles as domestic workers, many of them yearn for individuality, and to be seen beyond this role.

MDWs’ use of social media cannot, of course, compromise the safety, privacy and dignity of their employers’ families. Giving MDWs their own private space for rest and respite in their employers homes, will minimise this risk.

Live-out options

HOME has long advocated for live-out options for MDWs. Live-out options give both employers and MDWs privacy. Decisions that MDWs make as part of their private lives would have less impact on employers and their families. Moreover, MDWs have a right to their personal space and lives. Such arrangements will give employers and MDWs space from each other, and make for a healthier working relationship.

Chinese translation

前几周于新传媒U频道播出的《城市真相》第四集中讲述了几位雇主在聘请外籍女佣时所面临的一些问题。在此，我们希望对节目中呈现的说法与情况进行回应，并且为现实问题提出一些建议。

总体评论

就任何雇佣关系而言，员工都有可能无法达到雇主的期望。外籍女佣也可能犯错甚至触犯法律，但在不考虑外籍女佣本人的回应及其立场，而情绪化地夸大她们的行为失误不仅会加深对于外籍女佣的偏见，还会削减雇主与女佣之间的信任。

外劳⼈道主义组织 HOME 希望鼓励雇主与女佣通过公开的沟通对话化解双方之间的争议与矛盾。如若任何一方认为无法再继续他们之间的雇佣关系，双方也应该提前给与通知并且和平、和气地终止雇佣关系。

这期节目从雇主的角度谈及了聘请好女佣是否应凭借运气，但忽略了其反面问题。在缺乏充足的外籍劳工权益保护措施的情况下，不同雇主所提供的生活与工作环境也可能天差地别，因此对外籍女佣而言，懂得尊重她们的好雇主何尝不也是可遇不可求。

如节目中所提及，雇主及中介公司能够查询外籍女佣的工作经历及离职原因，但女佣却没有类似的渠道预先了解雇主的背景。由于她们只能相信未来雇主及中介公司所给予的口头承诺，许多外籍女佣的真实工作情况最终都有别于正式聘用前应许给她们的条件。此外，雇主也能够对曾经聘请的女佣留下反馈评价，女佣却不能对前雇主进行相同的意见标注。

这期节目也强调了几例外籍女佣所犯的行为，如：向非法借贷商贷款，以及夜间兼职甚至从事性工作。我们必须明白的是，这些情况背后的导因离不开外籍女佣生活与工作条件中所存在的系统性体系问题。

非法借贷与兼职

这期节目中首位出场的雇主提出他曾雇佣的一名女佣向无执照借贷商进行了贷款。与非法借贷商打交道往往会造成恶劣的后果，包括贷款人未能及时还款时所会面临的威胁及财产破坏，任何家庭都不应该陷入这种危险和高压的处境。同时，我们也必须了解驱动女佣走向非法借贷的原因：外籍女佣的薪资收入普遍都不高，而且她们在新加坡并没有最低薪资保障，因此薪资收入往往由其国籍与工作经验而定。

正如节目中所提及的案例，外籍女佣有时也可能面临给家人汇款帮补家用的压力，或者遇到教育、医疗及灾难后重建家园等突发情况而需要较大的钱财支出。这些女佣在某些情况下也可能还未还清雇佣手续费。HOME 曾接触的外籍女佣中也不乏被雇主拖欠工资并求助无门之后被迫转向非法贷款的情况。

同理，外籍女佣为了增加收入也可能秘密地进行兼职，包括从事性工作。虽然知晓行为非法，但在原本收入不足以支持自己及家人的经济需求的情况下，相当一部分外籍女佣也愿意冒险以赚取更多收入。

未成年工人

在该纪录片中，其中一名外籍女佣被发现进行了可能危害雇主两名幼童的隐私和安危的行为，这种行为是不可通融的。此外，该名女佣未成年的年龄身份也被发现。在一些情况下，这些外籍女佣的无良中介可能伪造护照、谎报年龄，以使外籍女佣看似已满23岁，符合来新加坡工作的年龄要求。

当中，一部分未成年女佣甚至不知道自己正在非法工作，在被发现之后也可能被禁止再被雇佣。这对于被边缘的、穷苦的但又希望谋生并支持其家庭的妇女而言是非常严苛的后果。

社交媒体的使用

一名女佣对于社交媒体的过度使用也是节目所讨论的焦点之一。外籍女佣往往将社交媒体视为缓解她们所经历的孤独感与疏离感的渠道。由于她们工作时间冗长且居住在雇主家中，她们往往与社会产生了一定程度上的隔绝。社交媒体因此成为了她们与其他外劳建立联系，以及表现自我的渠道。而且由于她们往往被自己的身份而被定义，她们当中也有许多人渴望能够摆脱 “女佣” 的标签而被视为独特的、有个性的个体。

当然，女佣对于社交媒体的使用不应该威胁雇主家庭的安全、隐私及尊严；雇主若是能够给予女佣足够的私人空间让女佣休息与放松，则可能减少这样的风险。

在外居住选择权

HOME 此前也已经在较长的时间里提倡相关部门为外籍女佣提供在外居住的选项。一方面，这会给雇主和女佣双方都带来更大程度的隐私保护，女佣私生活中的抉择对于雇主家庭的影响也可降至最低。另外，女佣也有权利拥有自己的私人空间与生活，如此的安排会给雇主和女佣制造适当的距离感，以允许雇佣关系能够更为舒适、健康。

Photo: meWATCH