I am troubled to hear of locals who have not been paying their domestic workers during lockdown.
We have really missed our housekeeper and nanny and it is wonderful to have her back. Lockdown has given me a new appreciation for her.
OK, the woman is a saint.
I can manage housework but freely admit I am not very good at it.
It is back-breaking work too!
We managed to keep the house ‘reasonably clean’ during level 5 lockdown but as soon as business picked up, the wheels fell off.
Molen has been with us since before my eldest, now 5, was born.
She is like a second mother to my 2 boys and they adore her.
Our boys are similar ages and they have really missed their playmates during lockdown.
She and other domestics in my neighbourhood have told me horror stories of domestics being left with no income and no word when they can expect to return to their jobs.
Our gardener has four days’ work a week at different homes and only two have paid him through lockdown.
He has two small children to feed and school, and he is not alone.
One employer I know quoted the ‘no work no pay’ provision in defence of not paying his domestic staff.
I could only gape.
To buy meat for the braai and have no conscience about cutting the salary of people who live hand-to-mouth is unconscionable.
There are many ethical employers who can no longer afford their household staff and have had to retrench.
Others have reached out to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) for help and still others have been doing ‘creative grocery shopping’ to keep food on both tables.
Whatever you do, I implore you to treat those who depend on your employment with the dignity they deserve.
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