This week I have been busy, busy with work at the office and also busy with couple of other things which are totally not norms to me. I have been summoned by the Jabatan Buruh because the agency of my runaway maid wanted her remaining salaries to be paid in full. I called the Jabatan Buruh officer in charge and he said " this is the attitude of these foreign workers who ran away from employers and then come here to claim money". Well, the officer had seen lots of cases I guess. I don’t mind paying the salaries to be truthful and it’s better with a legal officer as witness rather than fulfilling this agency’s arrogant demands on behalf of the maid. Yes, they are still keeping the maid since the maid ran away from my house early October last year and the agency is working really hard to get the money outstanding from me. I think they think they own the maid or something or maybe just doing welfare work for the runaway maid out of humanitarian reason. I really wonder who paid for the maid subsistence for the past three or so months and how is this viewed from legal standpoint keeping the maid in their agency for whatever reason as I have cancelled her permit last October. It’s really amazing when the maid can stay in our home, working or not working, with salaries, and when they run away irresponsibly, fabricating excuses for their action, they are still eligible to request payment in full. Malaysians shouldn’t mind being a maid then with such easy attitude. I am going to pay the salaries and be done with it. My justification is she worked and so she will get paid. The agency is another thing altogether.
I am also due to attend the consumer tribunal as I have made a complaint against the maid agency for their unethical behaviour and later found out that the tribunal didn’t handle fraud or unethical behaviour and just handle the claim of monies for unsatisfactory service. This is really disheartening as it seems there's no place to put an honest complain or concern about these agencies. They are just turning into mafias uncontrolled. I mean I would feel so sorry for the next person who will get this maid or who will use this agency. This last maid was really a nightmare and I don’t think I will take another ungrateful Indonesian maid into my home ever again or ever deal with a Malay maid agency again. (Sigh….) what a waste of time….
