Indonesian families uneasy as domestic workers take a break

By Ahmad Pathoni Sep 2, 2011, 9:38 GMT

Jakarta - The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr is supposed to be a time for celebration and joy in Indonesia, but for many families it means household chaos as they struggle to cope without domestic staff.

For many Indonesian domestic workers, Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, is the only time they can take a break from work for up to two weeks and spend time with families in their home villages.

The absence of maids during the holiday, which started on Wednesday in Indonesia, is a headache for families who increasingly depend on low-wage domestic staff to do housework such as laundry, cooking and babysitting.

Tuti Rachmawati, a 34-year-old secretary, said she, her husband and two young children rarely stayed at home during the holiday, eating and spending time at Jakarta's malls.

'The house is chaotic without the maid and the baby-sitter and my children just can't stop messing things up,' she said. 'The floor is dirty and I have a mounting pile of laundry.'

'Eating at the restaurants means I don't have to wash the dishes,' she said.

Many resort to fill-in workers, but they are in short supply during the country's biggest holiday.

'Many people called me asking for temporary maids, but I have no one because the workers don't want to trade their holiday for 100,000 rupiah (8.5 dollars) a day,' said Susilowati, who runs an agency that supplies maids.

Finding a reliable maid is not an easy task at any time, as domestic workers prefer to work overseas such as in the Middle East, Malaysia and Hong Kong, where they can get higher wages, said Susilowati, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Many live-in maids in Indonesia are paid as little as 500,000 rupiah (58.5 dollars) a month, while temporary staff cost up to 200,000 rupiah a day.

According to Amnesty International, a human rights group, many of the estimated 2.6 million women domestic workers in Indonesia have to endure harsh working conditions, with many subjected to physical, psychological and sexual violence.

Maids are often forced to work from as young as 12, but their plight remains hidden owing to the lack of regulation of their work, Amnesty said.

Endah Citra Resmi, a medical doctor, was left without help after her two maids went on a holiday, joining other migrants in the annual tradition locally called mudik or homecoming.

Her gardener is still on duty because he lives nearby.

'It's really difficult because we have no one to baby-sit my children,' Endah said. 'They left even before I and my husband took leave from work.'

'So I and my husband decided to take turn taking the kids to our offices and if possible, have them stay with relatives,' she said.

Often, maids refuse to return to their employers for various reasons when the holiday is over.

'My maids promised to return,' Endah said.

'But I have to accept it if they refuse to return to work. The most important thing they have to let me know in advance so I can look for a replacement,' she said.