Costly to hire Indian maids
By M. KRISHNAMOORTHY
KUALA LUMPUR: If you cannot afford to pay a maid RM1,400 a month, don't even think about hiring one from India.
Employers looking to hire maids from India must also put up a whopping bank guarantee of about RM9,000, to be deposited with the Indian High Commission.
The maid's minimum wage is set at RM1,400 per month and she must be provided with a prepaid mobile phone as part of mandatory requirements issued by the Indian High Commission.
Flight costs and other miscellaneous expenses are also to be borne by the employer.
A copy of the conditions and "contract of employment for maid" is available at the Indian High Commission.
The High Commission's first secretary (consular) S.K. Mehrotra said the employment contract should be between the worker and the employer directly, and not through any agent.
"The employers must go to India themselves to directly hire the maid. The High Commission does not want agents to get involved in recruiting maids because agents have brought in workers and short-changed them," he said.
"If the employer is not happy with the maid, he can send her back. Training is not a requirement yet, as both countries (Malaysia and India) have not signed any bilateral agreement on the hiring of maids."
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said recruitment from the four countries – India, Nepal, Laos and Vietnam – would take place only after the memorandums of understanding were signed.
Currently, there are many Indian women working as maids in most Middle Eastern countries.
Asked why the recommended pay was high, Mehrotra said, "The pay is set at RM1,400 because the maid will have to leave behind her family and go to serve in another country.
"Indian maids get about the same serving in other countries in the Middle East, and the bank guarantee provides proper protection for the maid."
According to the contract of employment, if the employee fails to fulfil the expectation of the employer, her salary shall not be reduced or deducted in any way.
It states that "the maid will be insured for a minimum of RM20,000 (at a premium of RM300) against sudden death during the course of her duties as a maid".
"All complaints concerning the terms of the contract should be made to the Labour Department here. The contract has to be signed by the employer at the Indian High Commission and the maid in India before the protector of emigrants," it added.
| Friday, October 19, 2007 1 US Dollar = 3.36913 Malaysian Ringgit |
 |
Malaysia urged to look after Indian workers Times of India
|
[* Moderator's Note - CHOTTALA is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political and non-discriminatory organization.
* Disclaimer: Any posting to the CHOTTALA are the opinion of the author. Authors of the messages to the CHOTTALA are responsible for the accuracy of their information and the conformance of their material with applicable copyright and other laws. Many people will read your post, and it will be archived for a very long time. The act of posting to the CHOTTALA indicates the subscriber's agreement to accept the adjudications of the moderator]
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
