Woman posts video accusing family of not buying drink for maid at coffee shop, gets roasted online

While having a drink at a coffee shop, this woman caught sight of a scene that infuriated her.

Taking to TikTok on Wednesday (Jan 18), Mawarberduriwina shared a video describing a woman looking bored while her companion was having a meal at the same table.

"It's a pity [your] boss didn't buy you food," the woman said, suggesting that the woman mindlessly watching on was a maid and the other person her employer.  

While the woman who posted the video was in Singapore, it is unclear where this coffee shop is located at. 

The video has since garnered more than 120,000 views on TikTok. 

Several netizens, who are foreign domestic workers, commented how they had similar experiences before.

"I've been in a situation like that. I felt like crying," a netizen wrote in Malay, while another was disappointed with the "heartless" employer.

When the video was reshared on the Singapore Incidents Facebook group, several netizens accused Mawarberduriwina of jumping to conclusions that the maid was badly treated by her employer.

"The maid may have eaten already or just does not like the food. Some people are just too eager to make employers look bad without finding out the truth first," a netizen said.

AsiaOne has contacted Mawarberduriwina for more information.

Other employers called out on social media

Other employers were previously called out on social media for their behaviour towards maids.

In May last year, a woman who shared a 12-pointer "rules and regulations" was called out for treating her maid "like a slave".

Describing how "they can be amended anytime", the woman wrote that her maid should not to open their doors to strangers and to always keep the house clean, all pretty reasonable requests.

But netizens took offence at the other regulations that she drew up, including how the maid is only allowed to use her phone at night for an hour "when the kids are asleep".

And in June 2020, a woman took to social media to express displeasure over her foreign domestic helper's "entitled" behaviour.

In a series of Instagram stories, Singaporean influencer Jessica Loh shared how her maid, named Ning, had helped herself to food that the former cooked as part of her friend's birthday feast.

Loh also described her maid's tone as "irritated" and "aggressive" when asked to seek permission in future.

In response to Loh's rift with her maid, MaidForMore, an advocacy group for migrant domestic workers, posted an 'open letter' via Instagram - urging her to "approach such conflicts with grace and openness."

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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