Employers warned for illegally deploying maids could be fined

This article is more than 12 months old

Oct 16, 2020 06:00 am

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is reviewing its guidelines to see if employers who have received warnings for illegally deploying their maids to work at a different place should get a fine instead, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said yesterday.

"This is so employers will take their responsibility towards their foreign domestic workers (FDWs) seriously," she said in her reply to Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) in Parliament.

MAXIMUM PENALTY

The ministry, however, has no plans to review the maximum penalty for the illegal deployment of FDWs, she said, adding that the number of such cases has remained relatively stable in the past few years.

The issue of illegal deployment of FDWs came under the spotlight after Indonesian Parti Liyani, a domestic worker employed by Changi Airport Group's former chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family, was acquitted last month of stealing from them.

Ms Parti had been told by Mr Liew's wife, Madam Ng Lai Peng, to help at the home of her son Karl. She said she also cleaned his office once a week for a year.

The ministry said it had consulted the Attorney-General's Chambers and, in May 2018, issued a caution to Madam Ng and an advisory notice to Mr Karl Liew.