Amendment to POEA Contract for Filipino Helpers in SG

Coverage and document structure

The circular governs the revised Standard Employment Contract for Filipino Household Workers in Singapore and the Agency Undertaking that accompanies the deployment.
The contract is a binding agreement among the Employer, the Household Worker, and the Singapore Employment Agency, with representation by a Philippine agency and authorized officials signifying compliance.
The circular states that the revised Standard Employment Contract and Agency Undertaking are contained in Annex A and Annex B.

Contract term, duration, and monitoring

The Contract is valid for two years and is effective on the day after arrival of the HOUSEHOLD WORKER in Singapore (Section 1, Annex A).
The Singapore Employment Agency must at all times monitor the employment’s status and welfare of the Household Worker (Section 1, Annex A).

Employer costs and worker security bond

The Employer must bear the cost of transportation of the Household Worker from the Philippines to Singapore (Section 2, Annex A).
After completion of the employment contract, the Employer must likewise bear the cost of return transportation to the Philippines (Section 2, Annex A).
The accredited agency must require prospective employers to post a performance bond of S$2,000 with P.O.L.O. Singapore as security for compliance with the employment contract (Section 3, Annex A).
The circular requires inclusion of a S$2,000 performance bond in item 3 as security for employer compliance (Part I, Section 1, circular amendments).

Wages, deductions, and wage floor

The Household Worker must receive a basic and minimum salary of S$300 per month starting from the contract’s effectivity (Section 4, Annex A).
Salary receipt must be acknowledged by the Household Worker in writing (Section 4, Annex A).
Deductions from the Household Worker’s salary are prohibited except those allowed under the Migrant Worker's Act of 1995 (Republic Act 8042) (Section 4, Annex A).

Fees, side contracts, and agency restrictions

At the end of the contract, the Singapore Employment Agency must not impose renewal, transfer, processing, or any other fee on the Household Worker for its own account or the Employer’s account in connection with transfer or renewal (Section 5, Annex A).
No side contract may be entered into among the parties other than the Contract (Section 5, Annex A).

Accommodation, meals, and medical costs

The Employer must provide suitable accommodation and at least three adequate meals a day to the Household Worker free-of-charge (Section 6, Annex A).
Medical services are borne by the Employer, including consultation, medicine, hospitalization, and a MOL (Ministry of Labour, Singapore) prescribed regular medical check-up (Section 7, Annex A).

Working hours and rest periods

The Household Worker must render service not exceeding 16 hours a day (Section 8, Annex A).
The Employer must provide the Household Worker an eight-hour rest and reasonable rest periods during working hours (Section 8, Annex A).
The circular removes the word “continuous” before eight hours rest in item 8 (Part I, Section 2, circular amendments).

Day off and overtime pay on Sundays

The Household Worker is entitled to a day off on Sundays without deduction from the regular salary (Section 9, Annex A).
If the Household Worker is obliged or agrees to work on the Sunday off, the Household Worker must be paid an additional S$10 (Section 9, Annex A).

Conduct and promotion of harmonious relations

The Household Worker must be courteous and polite and must behave properly at all times (Section 10, Annex A).
The Employer and the Singapore Employment Agency must promote harmonious relations (Section 10, Annex A).

Scope of domestic work and exclusions

The Household Worker must perform domestic duties including laundry, cooking, child/baby care, general cleaning, and housekeeping (Section 11, Annex A).
Car washing and body massage are excluded from the definition of domestic work (Section 11, Annex A).

Work permit limits to designated household

Services may be rendered only in the Employer’s household indicated in the Household Worker’s Ministry of Labour (Singapore) work permit card (Section 12, Annex A).

Renewal, contract extension, and salary increase

Contract extension or renewal requires mutual consent of both parties (Section 13, Annex A).
Renewal/extension must be under terms not inferior to those provided in the Contract (Section 13, Annex A).
The Household Worker’s salary must be increased by not less than 10% of the rate provided herein, regardless of the duration of the extended/renewed contract (Section 13, Annex A).

Paid leave, travel benefits, and home leave cash-out

For renewal or extension, the Employer must allow the Household Worker paid leave of at least fifteen (15) days (Section 14, Annex A).
The Employer must provide a round-trip airticket plus incidental travel expenses to the Household Worker’s place of origin in the Philippines (Section 14, Annex A).
If the Household Worker agrees to forego home leave, the Household Worker must receive the value of home leave not taken plus S$750 (Section 14, Annex A).

Termination, repatriation, and death-related costs

If termination necessitates repatriation in consonance with relevant provisions of the Singapore Immigration Act, the cost must be borne by the Employer (Section 15, Annex A).
If the Household Worker dies in Singapore or elsewhere during employment, the Employer must be responsible for repatriation of the remains and personal effects to the Household Worker’s place of origin (Section 15, Annex A).

Worker termination rights (forcause)

The Household Worker has the right to terminate the Contract at any time for these reasons (Section 16, Annex A):
- Degrading treatment by the Employer or any member of the household (Section 16(i), Annex A).
- The Employer has violated the terms and conditions of the Contract (Section 16(ii), Annex A).
- Acts by the Employer including:
  - Non-payment of salary within seven (7) days from the date it falls due except for justifiable reason,
  - Sexual molestation, or
  - The use of any form of violence on the Household Worker (Section 16(iii), Annex A).

Employer termination rights and immigration violation

The Employer is entitled to terminate the Contract at any time if the Household Worker violates the Immigration Act of Singapore (Section 17, Annex A).
The circular substitutes the word “rescind” to “terminate” in items 16 and 17 (Part I, Sections 4, circular amendments).

Dispute resolution and escalation

The Singapore Employment Agency must intervene in any dispute at the first instance, except those of a criminal nature, between the Household Worker and the Employer (Section 18, Annex A).
If the dispute is not resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, it must be referred to the Consulate General of the Philippines in Singapore (Section 18, Annex A).
If the dispute still remains unresolved, it must be referred to the appropriate government agencies of Singapore (Section 18, Annex A).

Agency documentation processing

The Singapore Employment Agency is responsible for administrative processing of necessary documents such as medical certifications, insurance policy, work permit, levies, and bonds required by the Singapore government for the Household Worker to acquire legitimate working status (Section 19, Annex A).

Agency Undertaking: deployment eligibility and bonds

The Agency Undertaking requires the undersigned to take note of the Guidelines on recruitment and deployment of Filipino domestic helpers to Singapore and to undertake to abide by those guidelines (Annex B introductory undertaking).
Only an employment agency pre-qualified with P.O.L.O. Singapore and duly accredited with P.O.E.A. may deploy Filipino household workers to Singapore (Section 1, Annex B).
The accredited employment agency must not engage in hiring and deployment of household workers without passing through the POEA (Section 1, Annex B).
The accredited employment agency must post a banker’s guarantee of S$5,000 with P.O.L.O. Singapore as security for compliance with relevant rules and regulations relating to deployment and welfare (Section 2, Annex B).
The accredited employment agency must require prospective employers to post a performance bond of S$2,000 with P.O.L.O. Singapore (Section 4, Annex B).
The accredited employment agency must enter into a contract authenticated at the Philippine Consulate General in Singapore with the employer and the Household Worker under terms and conditions prescribed by P.O.E.A. (Section 3, Annex B).

Agency duties, welfare support, and liability

The accredited employment agency must be responsible for the welfare of household workers it deployed (Section 5, Annex B).
The agency must assist in resolving employment-related problems, disputes, and concerns for as long as the household worker is in Singapore until repatriation, unless the household worker has transferred to another duly accredited agency (Section 5, Annex B).
The agency’s accreditation may be suspended or cancelled for failure to comply with the guidelines or upon recommendation of P.O.L.O. Singapore or the Philippine Consulate General in Singapore (Section 6, Annex B).
The accredited employment agency must be jointly and severally liable with the employer for claims of the Household Worker arising from employer-employee relations in accordance with Section 10 of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 (RA 8042) (Section 7, Annex B).
The circular expressly adds a provision on the joint and several liability of the employment agency and employer for claims of the Household Worker arising from employer-employee relations (Part II, circular amendments).

Administrative sign-off requirements

The Agency Undertaking must be signed by the undersigned with the name of signatory, signature, and designation/seal of the accredited agency (Annex B, concluding signature block).
The Standard Employment Contract requires signatures of the Household Worker and Employer, and authorization by a Philippine agency official and an authorized Singapore agency official (Annex A, signature block).