Good news for Filipinos who are working in Singapore as household service workers. The Singapore government recently announced that by next year, they will implement a new law that will give all foreign maids in their country a mandatory rest day per week.  Reports said that currently, there are 65,000 Filipino maids in Singapore.

According to a press release from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM), "The new weekly rest day requirement will apply to (foreign domestic workers) whose work permits are issued or renewed from 1 January 2013."

The Ministry said the mandatory day-off would increase the worker’s productivity and would attract many foreign helpers to work in Singapore.

This recent development may be a result of the campaigns and efforts of non-government organizations (NGOs) and different governments (where the maids come from) to grant the workers the privilege of a weekly day off. Apparently this right is enjoyed by foreign household workers in Hong Kong.

The new policy was welcomed by human rights organizations by saying that it is a first step towards the right path. However, they said that the new law still does not meet international standards.

This is because under the new law, the employer can still ask the maids to work on their rest days, provided that there is a "mutual agreement" with the employer. The maid should also be compensated by working on their rest days.

The Philippine embassy in Singapore expressed approval of the new law as it would benefit the many Filipina maids working in this Asian country.

Charge d' affaires, Neal Imperial said, "This progressive policy change by MOM is a clear recognition that the rights of domestic workers are just as important as the rights of any other worker in Singapore."