SINGAPORE should consider legislation that makes employers give
their domestic helpers a rest day every week, said Madam Halimah
Yacob, the Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and
Sports.
Speaking on the sidelines of a community sports festival at
Singapore Polytechnic, she said that giving maids a day off might
help to minimise some issues such as stress and overwork that
domestic workers are facing now.
Just like other workers who enjoy a rest day, domestic workers,
too, need to rest and should not be made to work excessive hours
that could affect their health and well-being, she added.
She was commenting on the new International Labour Organisation
convention that was approved last week in Geneva to grant domestic
workers greater protection from exploitation.
Singapore was among 63 voters which abstained from voting on the
convention, and the Ministry of Manpower has said it would sign the
treaty only when it was sure it could implement it here, and that
it would continue to review the rights and responsibilities of
employers and workers.
Saying that Singapore takes its international obligations
seriously, Madam Halimah expressed hope that Singapore would 'take
stock of its laws and policies and progressively make changes' to
be in line with the convention.
-- ST