Weekly Rest Day for Foreign Domestic Workers

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider the proposal to provide foreign domestic workers working in Singapore one day off per week.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is currently studying a proposal to legislate weekly "off-days" or "rest days" for foreign domestic workers (FDWs), with compensation in-lieu should the FDW and employer mutually agree that the rest day be foregone.

MOM is committed to safeguarding the well-being of FDWs in Singapore. FDWs are currently protected under a comprehensive piece of employment legislation called the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, which prescribes that FDWs must receive adequate rest. Employers who fail to comply with this requirement can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed up to six months. They will also be barred from hiring another FDW.

In 2006, a standard contract was introduced by the employment agency accreditation bodies – Association of Employment Agents (Singapore) and CaseTrust – requiring employers to stipulate the pay and number of rest days per month for FDWs. This contract continues to be the market standard for employment contracts between employers and FDWs, and requires at least one day per month to be stipulated. Should the FDWs consent to work during their rest days, employers are required to pay their FDWs a mutually agreed amount of compensation.

The idea of raising the minimum standard by mandating a weekly rest day for FDWs attracts diverse views and requires careful consideration. FDWs, like other workers, need enough time to rest and relax. Recent interviews with over 900 FDWs indicated that a large majority felt they had adequate rest each day. However, only a minority had a weekly rest day.

On the other hand, some employers cite family circumstances that make it genuinely difficult to cope without an FDW. A large number of employers have also expressed concern about FDWs' activities on their day off.

We are in the process of consulting all stakeholders, including employers, domestic workers, employment agencies and non-governmental organisations on this issue. This includes prescribing the amount of compensation that should be given in-lieu of the rest day and allowing FDWs and employers the flexibility to mutually agree which day of the week the rest day should fall on.

MOM will also continue to work closely with stakeholders as we make other enhancements to our FDW management framework, to better meet the needs of FDWs, employers, agents as well as wider national interests.

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