Maid Ran Away

clearjade

Member
Hi mummies,

Anyone else have experience with this? Maid ran away yesterday afternoon and we made a police report on the same day.

Agency actually told us not to make a police report in the first 24hrs but I felt uneasy to just leave it at that. The police checked embassy, hospitals & other police posts but no news.

Is there anything else we can do as an employer?
 

clearjade

Member
Finally found her at the Philippines embassy. They refuse to release her into our care and demand we buy her plane ticket back to her hometown (the contract states plane ticket only to Manila) and that we pay $50 for who-knows-what.

Called MOM who said that even though she is under Philippines embassy now, she is still considered our responsibility and we still need to ensure that she leaves Singapore after cancellation of work permit. I told the MOM call centre agent that if the embassy won't release her how can she still be considered our responsibility?? The agent cannot answer me.

The embassy says they will escort her to the airport, we cannot see her at all. I find that very unreasonable. We did not mistreat the maid, she has 3 big meals with snacks in between, sleep by 9-10pm and wake up 6am. We dont't overload her with chores, I let her set her own schedule for cleaning. She ran away because she is homesick and to avoid paying back the loan and now we have to pay for her flight and give her money to go home??

It's incredible that as an employer we are held responsible but have no rights and being squeezed by a foreign embassy and our own MOM refuse to help. Ridiculous!

Not to mention the agency claims that since she ran away from our house, they refuse to refund the balance of the loan, she has only worked for 3 months. That is another headache to deal with.
 

clearjade

Member
Maybe there's something lost in translation 'cos the maid is under my PIL who are not good in English so they got a colleague to contact the embassy and translate/speak for them. Also I told them to go down to the embassy personally but they keep going back on forth via email and an embassy contact person's mobile phone.

stonston, did you go down in person or talk via the phone?
 

stonston

Well-Known Member
Go down personally. The ppl there are nice.
I did not want to see that maid, so we spoke to the person in charge in her office.

My maid accused us of abusing her! We brought along evidence of her stealing money from us (CCTV footage) & photos of our stuff we found in her cupboard when we packed her luggage to send to embassy.
& she's really well-fed, she put on a lot of weight & it's obvious when you look at the real person & the passport photo (which was taken just before she came to SG to work).

I still bought the air tix for her to go back cos no point keeping such a maid. But the embassy helped her pay off her loan to the maid agency. So I got a new maid without much probs with the agency. The agency was very helpful also, wrote a letter to the embassy to vouch for us cos we got maids from them for so long already.
 

clearjade

Member
The agency is useless, the first thing we did was notify the agency. First they told us not to make a police report within first 24hrs, they claimed that the police will not act on the report unless the maid has been missing for over 24hrs. I told my parent in law we should still make a report as the work permit is in our name and if anything happens MOM will look for us and not the agency.

Then the agent called my father-in-law several times to ask if we've found the maid. Shouldn't they be looking as well rather than leaving it solely to us? After my parent in law got their colleague to email the Philippines embassy, we finally found out that the maid is there. We notified the agency and the agent handling our case went on holiday and ask her colleague to handle on her behalf. She promised to liaise with the embassy and let us know the situation by a certain time. When we didn't hear back from her for a few hours past that time, my father-in-law called the agent several times to get an update and there was no answer. So she was basically avoiding us.

So he then got his colleague to liaise over the phone and that's when the demands for buying the maid a plane ticket to her hometown on a particular date, telling us to give her money to go home + not allowing us to see her or inspect her luggage in case she took anything while running away.

So right now, he is just giving in to their demands and buying the plane ticket and giving them the money while the embassy will escort her to the airport. We won't be able to check her luggage or see her. I asked if they would like me to go with them in person to the embassy and speak for them but they still refuse to go to the embassy personally.

The other difficult part is that I won't want to offend my in-laws by 'overstepping' the boundaries and telling them what to do if they dont't want to do it. If it were my own parents, I would have forced them to go straight down to the embassy and talk it out properly and not go through a useless agency or phone and email with the embassy.

sigh, what a headache...
 

banner82

New Member
Go down personally. The ppl there are nice.
I did not want to see that maid, so we spoke to the person in charge in her office.

My maid accused us of abusing her! We brought along evidence of her stealing money from us (CCTV footage) & photos of our stuff we found in her cupboard when we packed her luggage to send to embassy.
& she's really well-fed, she put on a lot of weight & it's obvious when you look at the real person & the passport photo (which was taken just before she came to SG to work).

I still bought the air tix for her to go back cos no point keeping such a maid. But the embassy helped her pay off her loan to the maid agency. So I got a new maid without much probs with the agency. The agency was very helpful also, wrote a letter to the embassy to vouch for us cos we got maids from them for so long already.
Hi, sounds like a great maid agency. Could you PM me their business name am looking for good agency.
 

Angelmum

Moderator
The agency is useless, the first thing we did was notify the agency. First they told us not to make a police report within first 24hrs, they claimed that the police will not act on the report unless the maid has been missing for over 24hrs. I told my parent in law we should still make a report as the work permit is in our name and if anything happens MOM will look for us and not the agency.

Then the agent called my father-in-law several times to ask if we've found the maid. Shouldn't they be looking as well rather than leaving it solely to us? After my parent in law got their colleague to email the Philippines embassy, we finally found out that the maid is there. We notified the agency and the agent handling our case went on holiday and ask her colleague to handle on her behalf. She promised to liaise with the embassy and let us know the situation by a certain time. When we didn't hear back from her for a few hours past that time, my father-in-law called the agent several times to get an update and there was no answer. So she was basically avoiding us.

So he then got his colleague to liaise over the phone and that's when the demands for buying the maid a plane ticket to her hometown on a particular date, telling us to give her money to go home + not allowing us to see her or inspect her luggage in case she took anything while running away.

So right now, he is just giving in to their demands and buying the plane ticket and giving them the money while the embassy will escort her to the airport. We won't be able to check her luggage or see her. I asked if they would like me to go with them in person to the embassy and speak for them but they still refuse to go to the embassy personally.

The other difficult part is that I won't want to offend my in-laws by 'overstepping' the boundaries and telling them what to do if they dont't want to do it. If it were my own parents, I would have forced them to go straight down to the embassy and talk it out properly and not go through a useless agency or phone and email with the embassy.

sigh, what a headache...

This is one of my worries when hiring maid.
Wish our own govt & MOM give us fairer protection. MOM collected levy from us yet leaving us stranded and be bullied by agencies and maids. They dont care how much we sufferred in terms of money and mental stress. These people assumed we're loaded, these are small money to us cos we chose to hire maids in order to make them as slaves.

MOM doesn't care the rules and regulations they have set are putting us at great disadvantage. When will they hear our frustrations? When can they understand I hired maid as I've no other choice ie NO childcare centre for my girl with disabilities (genetic)?
:realmad::tconfused::we2arghh:
sigh
 

hpc

Member
Ya ya why MOM don't see employer's problem,only care for maids,forgetting we are also victims.Increase their salary,off day,doesn't mean better quality maids,instead more problems incurred.MOM please be more fair to us employers,what are the regulations that can protect us.
 

Angelmum

Moderator
Maid run away means we lose bond$ and insurance $ right?

They runaway, you find them to secure your bond.

If they hide in embassy or shelters before completing loans (usually this is the case of fresh maids), most agencies dont't want to get involved. You're alone to fight. Understand embassy and shelters will side maid and make you buy air-ticket to send them home. End up, you lose loan, air-ticket, insurance, levy, etc. If she runs to agency, you got to pay your agent for lodging.

I got a friend who hired a Indo maid for less than 24 hours, she runaway! Lucky she's a homemaker. If she's a full time working mum, she'll end up burning Leave to find replacement and stay home till reinforcement comes.

In plain words, once a maid runs away = nightmares for employers. Nobody will help you. All fingers will be pointing at you .... you bullied/abused them, you overworked them, you're a monster employer, they no money cos you ate their money by making them work 8-9 months for free, etc.

Sigh ....
Life as FDW's employer is no fun! It is a throw money thing cos of Pay-Aneed-Pay system in Spore.
 

pipilili

Member
I wonder which minister is in charged of such domestic affairs?


For HDB, we have Khaw Boon Wah, who is in charged of MOM? Maybe can ask the minister to re-look at the policies set for hiring maid/paying maid. I think there must be better options which they have not looked at, causing so much pain to Sg-eans who are trying to increase sg's birth rate and at the same time, need to stress about MAID!
 

pipilili

Member
Tan Chuan Jin - Is this the minister who is in charged of MOM and FDW issues?

Maybe we can raise our concerns to him.
 

Angelmum

Moderator
I wonder which minister is in charged of such domestic affairs?


For HDB, we have Khaw Boon Wah, who is in charged of MOM? Maybe can ask the minister to re-look at the policies set for hiring maid/paying maid. I think there must be better options which they have not looked at, causing so much pain to Sg-eans who are trying to increase sg's birth rate and at the same time, need to stress about MAID!

Tharman - Finance & new MOM minister (Cabinet Appt)


Maybe more of you send email to him to reflect how much we're suffering under current unfair system. Guess they see my name, my emails all auto enter into waste bin.
Email: tharman_s@mof.gov.sg
cc your own zone (List of Constituencies | PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE)


I emailed. He sent his grassroots to hyprocrite a bit ... said want to look into my case and help ..... liar.
Directed me to other sub gov offices who earlier already replied can't help, beyond their abilities and my request were not according to standard rules and regulations.... showed unwilling to tweek loopholes.
 
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Angelmum

Moderator
Found one email reply re: providing protection to FDW's employer faced with runaway maid, this is MOM's reply ... I cut and paste (got proof) :tlaugh:


"Concerning your query on how you can protect yourself as an employer, we
are of the view that each employer has different methods of exercising
control and proper supervision over their workers. Generally, the employer
should ensure the worker's welfare and interests are well looked after.
These include non-statutory requirements such as proper orientation,
medical care, hospitalization expenses and providing for the worker's
social and recreational needs.

As an employer, it is your prerogative to resolve any employment-related
disputes with the worker amicably."




If you were me, receiving such reply, won't you be angry and frustrated? Didn't mention how we're protected but reminded me to take good care of maid. :we2arghh::weno::wemad::we2wacko:

I sent an email on behalf of my friend. If I kenna irresponsible runaway maid, how? :realmad::we2arghh::wecry::wong21:
 

pipilili

Member
Angelmum: Did you email them after the GE? The commitment given by PM was they will listen to us(ppl of SG). I am surprised that he didn't.

I personally think Minsiter Khaw Boon Wah did a great job after taking over MBT. I think he has got great foresight and is really out to help the ppl of Singapore. The way he address HDB construction issues, rental homes for needy families, the recent DBSS housing etc...all these we nvr ever heard from MBT at all. (Having a good minister who is all out to help singaporeans is truely important to the nation)


 

Angelmum

Moderator
Angelmum: Did you email them after the GE? The commitment given by PM was they will listen to us(ppl of SG). I am surprised that he didn't.

This was before GE. After GE I asked other maid related issues eg levy re-structure, suggest to adopt HK method so that the high salary paid is worth. We dont want to be trainers and be at mercy of maids and agents. We paid more than HK ($450 salary + $265 levy is $715) but didn't deserve any fair protection against bad agencies and errant maids. Nobody stood up for us. Also talked about that b r a i n l e s s 4 off days Halimah wanted to implement.

No reply. Shows MOM adamant, no intention to amend the curent rules and regulations to benefit those really had to depend on FDWs, eg me. Highlighted in Spore, there's only one daycare centre that my princess qualifies ie AWWA in Hougang but too far for us and no vacancy. It was a choice of to work or not to work. To work, I had to hire maid. Dont work, cant survive with one income due to Spore high living standards and cost of living.
 
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