NGOs: Domestic workers disappointed Socso didn't meet Saravanan's promise

 

Domestic workers in Malaysia who tried to register with Social Security Organisation (Socso) offices have been turned away by uninformed staff,  Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (PSWS) claimed today.

"This is a let down to workers in this sector who have waited more than 60 years to enjoy a basic human right of a social security safety net," PSWS said in a statement.

The group cited Human Resources Minister M Saravanan's announcement in April this year that Socso coverage would be extended to at least 104,400 local and migrant domestic workers effective June 1.

"However local domestic workers who visited Socso offices reported to PSWS that Socso staff were unaware of this new cabinet decision.

"PSWS, which works closely with local and migrant domestic workers, was also informed by an employer who visited the Selangor state Socso office in Petaling Jaya that she was told 'local maids and migrant maids were not eligible for any Socso scheme'.

"The officer had also suggested that perhaps the employer had mistaken the news to be Socso but could have been referring to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) benefits instead," it added.

PSWS said it was very disappointing to hear numerous accounts from domestic workers who attended or telephoned Socso offices at different locations that Socso staff were dismissive of the idea that domestic workers would ever be eligible “as they were servants”.

PSWS is a non-governmental organisation that has served women workers since 1984. It is also part of the Kearah 189, a coalition of organisations representing migrant and local domestic workers in the country.

Aside from PSWS, other members of Kearah 189 include North South Initiative, Tenaganita, Filipino domestic worker organisation Asosasyon ng mga Makabayang Manggagawang Pilipino Overseas (AMMPO) and Indonesian domestic worker group Persatuan Pekerja Rumah Tangga Indonesia Migran (Pertimig).

Human Resources Minister M Saravanan

Kearah 189 also said it was very disappointing that Socso was not ready to provide the crucial coverage for domestic workers by June 1.

"We want this unwarranted delay to be resolved by June 30. We are also concerned that Socso has not consulted migrant worker organisations representing grassroots domestic workers before June 1 as none of our organisations has heard from them," said the group.

"At present, it is clear that the abuse of domestic workers has been exacerbated because of Covid 19 as workers in this sector have been pushed to work in extreme working conditions and Socso’s inclusion will give them the much-needed safety net," they added.

Kearah 189 made the following calls:

1. Once Socso has fine-tuned the application processes, all registrations must be backdated to June 1, 2021.
2. Kearah 189 wants to be included in the stakeholders' consultation regarding the inclusion of migrant domestic workers into the Socso scheme
3. That the inclusion in Sosco will be the first step in the process of migrant domestic workers receiving full rights as workers. Accordingly, the First Schedule of the Employment Act 1955 needs to be amended to reflect this as with the minimum wage order to include domestic workers as beneficiaries.
4. Kearah 189 also wants the government to refrain from addressing workers in this sector as “servants”, “maids” or “helpers” and instead address them as “domestic workers” or “domestic employees” as referred to in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 189.
5. The government should uphold international human rights standards for domestic workers and ratify the ILO C189.

Malaysiakini has contacted Socso for a response to the complaints raised by PSWS and Kearah 189. - Mkini