Marty praises Singaporean regulation on day off for maids

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Fri, 03/09/2012

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa welcomes the Singapore government’s decision to allocate a day off for domestic helpers, saying that it would give them the chance to improve their personal competence.

“I think that is a positive decision. It [the regulation] will clearly provide more opportunities for Indonesian migrant workers not only to refresh but also to improve their skills,” he said Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

To date around 50,000 out of 200,000 domestic helpers in Singapore are Indonesians.

According to Marty, the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has regularly provided various skills training programs for Indonesian migrant workers to help them improve personal competencies before returning home.

Singaporean Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said earlier this week that the Singaporean government was planning to introduce a new law next year that requires all employers in the country to give their maids one day off every week.

New employers who hire a maid for the first time starting from Jan. 1, 2013 will also be subject to the new rule. For existing maids, the new regulation will not apply for the remainder of their work permit.