LAST June, I hired a domestic helper from Indonesia to look after my 80-year-old disabled father.
For the past eight months, we were happy with her and were told by the maid agency that she had no complaints about us.
However, two weeks ago, she suddenly requested to call home.
After a chat with her "friend", she said she had to return home as one of her children was sick.
Given her insistence, we had to let her go even though it was in breach of her contract.
I was left facing the problem of finding a replacement maid and, among other issues, having to fork out another few thousand dollars to pay for the new maid's agency loan.
I fully agree that the welfare of foreign domestic workers must be protected and kudos to the Government for doing a lot to protect the maids' interests.
But what about the employers' interests? Currently, there is no law to protect the employers when a maid breaches a contract through no fault of the employer.
A contract is signed between the agency, maid and employer, yet what purpose does it serve when a maid can just give seven days' notice to quit, citing any reason and without any penalty against the maid nor the agency?
The employer still has to bear all the costs, including paying the agency's fee and insurance, each time a new maid is hired within the two-year contract.
What can the Government or authorities do to protect maid employers in such situations?
Choo Sing Nian (Ms)
*Article first appeared on ST Forums (24 Feb 2014)