Singapore refuses to grant maids mandatory days off

28 May 2008

Despite years of lobbying by various NGOs concerned with foreign workers in Singapore, the government continues to reject calls to include foriegn domestic workers within the ambit of the Employment Act which mandates a minimum of one rest day a week.

As the article below reveals, only 50 percent of maids in Singapore are given a regular day off by their employers. Some of them do not even get an irregular day off, but work continuously seven days a week for the entire duration of their contract. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by yawningbread

Cyclone Nargis: Catalyst for change in Myanmar?

16 May 2008

16 May 2008
Source: Reliefweb

Elizabeth Ferris, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy
Lex Rieffel, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development

The December 2004 tsunami that devastated the province of Aceh in Indonesia was a human tragedy but a political blessing in the form of a peace agreement. What are the chances that the dark cloud of Cyclone Nargis, which slammed Myanmar/Burma on May 3, will have the silver lining of being a catalyst for political change? Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by yawningbread

Include domestic maids in Mother’s Day celebrations

10 May 2008

Columnist Ravi Veloo of Today newspaper, argues for giving foreign domestic workers a treat on Mother’s Day too. Indeed, one of the greatest stumbling blooks to a more humane treatment of domestic maids is the insensitivity common among Singaporeans to the sacrifices made by these women. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by yawningbread