Term 3 Week 1 (Blogging Assignment)

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.

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Maids are humans just like us so they should be treated equally like other workers. All workers, including maids, have the right to appeal for legal protection to ensure that they are not abused or forced to be overworked by their employers. However, some Singaporeans have the wrong mindset that maids are inferior to us and that they are paid to work for their employers and not being allowed to rest. 

Employers cannot expect the maids to carry out their routine duties as per normal every day like robots. As human beings, they would also get tired after working so hard for a week, much less like us who face a labor less vigorous than the maids. Some employers even make the maids perform work which falls outside their scope of work, which emphasizes on the need to implement this law. This basic legislation also seeks to protect vulnerable domestic workers who are still suffering in silence. In the long run, we have to admit that even Singaporeans do struggle with daily household responsibilities.


On the other hand, some individuals might think that weekly leaves for maids should not be legislated in Singapore. If the maids get into trouble while they are on leave, this responsibility falls on the employers. Therefore, some of these maids may seize the opportunity to make trouble for their employers. If maids were given too much rest, they might become lazy as even if they do not do a good job, they know that they will surely get a day off. 


In conclusion, I still think that maids should be given a day off.