A commonly asked question is, are employers supposed to pay for a foreign domestic worker’s travel expenses during home leave? Here is some information that you might find useful on travel expenses incurred as part of home leave.

1) Going on home leave/ Travelling back home between contract renewals

There is no compulsory home leave for foreign domestic workers and an employer is not responsible or obligated to buy their foreign domestic worker a plane ticket for home leave. As such, all travelling expenses and home leave arrangements should be discussed carefully between the domestic worker and the employer and agreed on, preferably at the beginning of the contract.

2) Termination of services, repatriation

Only under circumstances when an employer no longer requires a domestic worker’s services, or decides to cancel the domestic worker’s work permit, are they required by law to bear the full costs of the repatriation of the domestic worker back home.

Should you have queries on these issues, you may also refer to tips at www.mom.gov.sg, send an email to mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg or call MOM at 6438 5122.

Footnotes:

[1] Standard Employment Contract: Singapore laws and regulations do not make it compulsory to sign an employment contract with Domestic Helper. However, the Ministry of Manpower strongly encourages employers and their Foreign Domestic Worker to draft a written employment contract. The Association of Employment Agencies of Singapore (AEAS) and CaseTrust have drafted a common  “Standard Employment Contract between Foreign Domestic Worker and Employer” which all accredited “Maid agencies” in Singapore should advise their clients to use.

Any written agreement should precisely state the : salary, housing conditions, number of days off, amount of rest, conditions for renewal and termination of contract, benefits in cash or in kind if any. The validity of the written contract is linked to the validity of work permit. The contract is void upon cancellation of work permit. (Source:  http://www.help-agency.org/index.php/en/formalites?showall=&start=12)

[2] The Philippine Embassy requires an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) for all Filipino FDW. Under the POEA Rules and Regulations to help ensure that Filipino overseas workers (OFWs) are properly documented and protected. This OEC in turn, entails Filipino FDWs to sign an employment contract which needs to be authenticated by the Philippines consular. (Source:  http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/labor/overseas-employment-certificate-oec/oec/)

[3] Certain categories of Filipino foreign domestic workers are exempted from securing an Overseas Employment Certificate) and POEA fees which are subjected to the POEA guidelines. (Source: http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/POEA_MC_6.pdf)