Rest Days: A Lifeline for Growth & Empowerment

Hi, my name is Yuni Sulistiani. I am a migrant worker from Indonesia working in Singapore. As a caregiver, my days are usually full with my work routine which consists of patient care and treatment. I like my job. Nevertheless, my rest day has become something I look forward to a lot and means a lot to me.

I first arrived in Singapore back in 2008. It wasn't easy to adapt to the hard work and routine, the culture shock, and the way people viewed migrant workers as low-value individuals. My salary was around $280 per month, with an eight-month salary deduction to pay off my agency fees, leaving me only $10 per month at first. 

Many of us weren’t allowed any communication devices, and if we were lucky, we could contact our families once a month — or not at all. At that time, there were no government rules for days off like there are now. If fortunate, we might be granted one day off, but not everyone had this. It was very difficult because I couldn't talk to anyone and had to stay indoors throughout those years.

In 2012, I decided to return to Indonesia and came back to Singapore at the end of 2019. This time, my job wasn't too hard. I just had to clean the house, wash the car, and handle other small tasks. I was very fortunate, as initially I was only allowed one day off a month, but eventually, I was permitted to have two days off to attend school. I took care of my male employer as he was often ill. I learned a lot about patient care and nursing from this experience until he passed away at the end of 2023. 

Becoming a caregiver

I use my rest days to enrich myself, to study and increase my job potential. I took caregiver classes at HOME Academy to improve my skills in caring for others. After graduating HOME Academy Basic Caregiver, Nursing Aide and Healthcare Assistance courses, I was hired by Active Global Caregiver company as a live-in caregiver. Now, I am continuing my studies in Comprehensive Elder care at Legend Training Centre. 

A live-in caregiver resides in the home of the employer to provide personal care for individuals who need extra care due to age, illness or disability, focusing on daily activities like bathing and meal preparation. Their job is different from that of a regular domestic worker, who mainly manages tasks such as cleaning, cooking and possibly childcare, with a focus on household rather than care tasks. 

The salaries of domestic workers and live-in caregivers differ slightly. For domestic workers, the payment system is based on a basic salary. In contrast, live-in caregivers receive a basic salary with potential bonuses. The salary for each live-in caregiver can vary depending on the company's or agency's policies, her level of experience in patient care, and other factors. 

Activities on my day off

Besides taking caregiver classes, I do many other things during my time off. I participated in poetry events organised by Migrant Writers of Singapore, a community that brings together the voices of migrant workers and their talent in the art of writing. I was one of eight poets whose work was published in the book “On Sundays, We Play”. The book contains my poem titled "BOUNCING DREAMS" which captures the experiences of migrant workers chasing a better life. It highlights their struggles and dreams as they adapt to new environments. 

In my poem, volleyball serves as a symbol of friendship and a way to cope with difficulties. Through the game, the players find joy and build supportive bonds with their teammates. The poem emphasises the power of unity and shared passions like volleyball to foster personal growth and community, inspiring the pursuit of dreams and finding peace amidst challenges. Through this poem, I became the first Indonesian worker to receive international awards from Canada. 

Several times I have also participated in poetry and short story anthology book programmes, participated in poetry competitions, become a video editor for songs by Baroe Publisher. I write poetry on my personal blog, and produce poetry videos for my YouTube channel. 

Why is having a rest day important?

Rest days are not just a time for rest. For me, my days off work are an opportunity to socialise with friends and meet new people. From these meetings I gain knowledge, new experiences, and also the opportunity to build a network that is very useful for my future. Thanks to my time off, I can continue to grow and explore the various interests and hobbies that I have. I hope that in the future I can continue my studies to a higher level in elderly care and get a better job. 

Sadly, not all migrant workers have the same opportunity. I often see my colleagues who do not get a day off experiencing emotional stress. They also tend to have mental health problems because humans are, at heart, social creatures who need to be able to socialise. When they are not able to access education that is only available during the weekend, many of them will be unable to further develop their talents and interests. 

In my current job, I have only two days off a month, because I have to share my days off with my co-workers. I hope that in the future, we will be able to get every Sunday off and also every public holiday. This will give me more time to develop my talents, continue my education to a higher level and further my career as a caregiver. 

In my previous job, I also only got two days off per month and had to turn down many invitations for nice activities, especially those related to writing. That is very sad, because I use these events to show both my fellow migrant workers and the general public that migrant workers can excel through various positive activities during their time off. I hope that the Singapore government, agencies, healthcare service companies for Live-in Caregivers and employers can better understand the importance of holidays for migrant workers. With this support, we can be more empowered and make a better contribution not only to the employer's family, but also to the wider community.

Hari Libur untuk pekerja migran 

Hai, namaku Yuni Sulistiani. Saya adalah seorang pekerja migran dari Indonesia yang saat ini bekerja di Singapura. Sebagai Caregiver, hari-hari saya biasanya penuh dengan rutinitas pekerjaan yang kaitannya dengan penjagaan dan perawatan pasien. Meski demikian, hari libur menjadi sesuatu yang sangat saya nantikan dan sangat berarti bagi kehidupan saya.

APA YANG SAYA LAKUKAN SAAT HARI LIBUR?

Setiap hari libur, saya menggunakannya dengan bijak untuk memperkaya diri dan mengembangkan potensi. Saya mengikuti kelas caregiver di HOME Academy untuk meningkatkan keterampilan saya dalam merawat orang lain.
Setelah lulus dari HOME ACADEMY BASIC CAREGIVER, NURSING AIDE dan HEALTHCARE ASSISTANCE, saya diterima bekerja di Active Global Company sebagai Live-in Caregiver. Sekarang, saya tengah melanjutkan sekolah di Comprehensif Elder Care di Legend Training Centre.
Selain itu, saya pernah mengisi acara puisi di Migrant Writers of Singapore, sebuah komunitas yang mengumpulkan suara-suara pekerja migran berbakat dalam seni tulisan. Saya juga sempat menjadi salah satu dari 8 penulis puisi yang karyanya dicetak dalam event On Sundays, We Play sebagai pekerja migran pertama dari Indonesia yang menerima award.
Beberapa kali pula saya mengikuti program buku anthology puisi dan cerita pendek, mengikuti kompetisi puisi, menjadi video editor beberapa lagu untuk Baroe Publisher, menulis puisi di blog pribadi, memproduksi video puisi untuk kanal youtube saya dan beberapa hal lainnya.

MENGAPA HARI LIBUR ITU PENTING?

Hari libur bukan sekadar waktu untuk beristirahat. Bagi saya, hari libur adalah kesempatan untuk bersosialisasi dengan sahabat dan bertemu orang-orang baru. Dari pertemuan ini, saya memperoleh banyak ilmu, pengalaman, dan bahkan kesempatan untuk membangun jaringan yang sangat berguna bagi masa depan saya. Berkat hari libur, saya dapat terus berkembang dan mengeksplorasi berbagai minat serta hobi yang saya miliki.
Saya berharap, kedepannya saya bisa melanjutkan study ke jenjang yang lebih tinggi dalam perawatan lansia dan mendapatkan pekerjaan yang lebih baik lagi.
Sayangnya, tidak semua pekerja migran memiliki kesempatan yang sama. Saya sering melihat rekan-rekan saya yang tidak memperoleh hari libur mengalami tekanan emosional yang besar. Mereka juga cenderung bermasalah dengan kesehatan mental karena pada dasarnya manusia adalah makhluk sosial yang membutuhkan ruang untuk bersosialisasi. Kurangnya kesempatan untuk mengakses pendidikan yang hanya tersedia saat hari libur juga membuat banyak dari mereka tidak dapat mengembangkan bakat dan minatnya.

HARI LIBUR DALAM PEKERJAAN SAAT INI

Dalam pekerjaan saya saat ini, saya memiliki dua hari libur dalam sebulan. arena harus berbagi hari libur dengan teman sekerja. Saya berharap ke depannya, kami bisa mendapatkan empat kali hari libur dalam sebulan dan juga setiap hari libur nasional. Ini akan memberi saya lebih banyak waktu untuk mengembangkan bakat dan melanjutkan pendidikan ke jenjang yang lebih baik, guna mendukung karir saya sebagai caregiver.
Di pekerjaan  saya sebelumya, saya juga hanya mendapatkan dua hari libur perbulan sehingga banyak sekali undangan untuk mengisii berbagai kegiatan positif terutama yang berhubungan dengan literasi terpaksa saya tolak.
Sangat sedih memang, karena berbagai event ini bisa saya gunakan juga untuk memperkenalkan sekaligus mengedukasi  teman-teman migran maupun masyarakat awam bahwa pekerja migran juga dapat berprestasi melalui berbagai kegiatan positif di hari libur.
Harapan saya, pemerintah Singapura, Agency, perusahaan healthcare service untuk Live-in Caregiver dan para majikan bisa lebih memahami pentingnya hari libur bagi pekerja migran. Dengan dukungan tersebut, kami bisa lebih berdaya dan memberikan kontribusi yang lebih baik tidak hanya bagi keluarga majikan, tetapi juga bagi masyarakat luas.