USAPING MIGRANTE: Deconstructing the Live-in Caregiver Program

USAPING MIGRANTE: Deconstructing the Live-in Caregiver Program

Conclusion

The live-in requirement is in fact a recipe for cruelty. It is a bondage that traps caregivers to modern-day middle-class houses for fear of not getting the “golden ticket” – to be able to sponsor all her loved ones. The fear is real because of the fact that visas of caregivers are tied or specific to particular employers. Caregivers who screwed up, their visas will be screwed up, too. How then to go out from this situation?

To answer this question, let’s take a look at some recommendations being pushed by the Coalition for the Protection of Caregivers’ Rights (CPCR). First off, the CPCR says eliminate the mandatory live-in requirement, and make it optional. I could perfectly understand the rationale behind this point:
caregivers should have the right to choose if they want to stay or not in their employer’s home. Many would prefer staying out, I bet. And if those who will choose staying in because they have no place to stay in during their first weeks after arrival from home or other countries, for sure after several weeks of stay in their employer’s home they would look for some kind of boarding-house where they could dwell and relax during weekends.

As I pointed out last time perhaps the number one complaint of caregivers is working long hours without pay. This problem will be lessened, if not totally eradicated, if caregivers are not living-in their employer’s. They come in the morning, they go in the afternoon – typical for regular workers. The virtual 24-hours on-call provision will be gone. Sleepless nights caused by fatigue and stress will be minimized, if not eliminated, if caregivers are not staying overnight waiting for employers until wee hours to arrive from parties. If caregivers are free at night, they can use their extra time attending short (free) courses offered by some institutions. Through this they can harness their skills, and even learn new skills necessary for social integration process.

I heard some people telling caregivers why you don’t avail of learning activities being offered by some institutions and community centers during weekends. “Pagod na po kami” (We’re tired) was the usual answer. Indeed, how could you expect someone who is tired and stressed to go out and attend some kind of “How to be a Good Immigrant” seminar on Saturday morning?

For sure caregivers would prefer resting over studying, and rest more after phoning their loved ones back home. Or, for some, they would prefer to take part-time jobs especially during tuition-fee months in the Philippines. Or, for some, after resting and part time jobs, they would gather together for a simple feast – featuring Pancit and other Pinoy foods. I know this because I myself have attended several occasions where caregivers gathered in a small apartment or basement just to celebrate their, well, being together – with simple foods, lots of (work-related) stories, and a high amount of laughter. After a happy weekend, “balik na naman sa trabaho” (back to work again).

During my first year in Canada, I wondered why many caregivers were taking the last trip buses on Sunday night in going home to their employers. It was a question of why, but first it was – how nice to be in a bus (YRT from Promenade Mall to Finch Station) full of compatriots talking in different vernaculars simultaneously. Well, it reminded me that I was closer to home – closer to my own people.

Going back, why many of them were taking the last trips on Sunday. Some friends told me they were killing the time. I asked them to explain further. They were killing the time and waiting for the right timing to come home to their work when their employer and its family had finished their dinner. Or, after the time when kids had already been put to bed.

Why? When they arrived before supper time, they would be asked to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen and prepare snacks for kids and put the kids to bed, aside from taking care of nightly rituals for cats and dogs. Were they supposed to be off the whole day of Sunday? Yes, but what could they do they were in their employer’s house. As I said, the owner of the house is the ruler inside the house. You cannot usually say no to the ruler because s/he is your employer – your boss.

Now, I understand there are some caregivers who are lucky enough to have good employers. Their employers give them the right salary rate, pay their extra hours of work, let them rest after working time, let them take time off during weekends and holidays, and let them not bother about shovelling the snow during winter time.

The fact is, there is only just quite a few have this ideal kind of job arrangement. A lot of caregivers whom I talked to expressed their concerns about employers who do not pay extra hours of work they rendered to them. If caregivers would ask for it, employers would threaten them to delay their immigrant paper, or some other tactics to that effect.

That brings me to the point of providing the caregivers permanent residency status upon landing, which is the main campaign call of the CPCR. Again, I can perfectly understand the rationale behind this point: caregivers should be given the right of residency upon arrival so that they also acquire the rights other permanent residents or other Canadian workers enjoy. This will bring equal footing between employers and employees. This will bring equal traction between caregivers and employers. Worker’s rights should not depend on employer’s whimsical provisions; they should rather be based on mutual understanding and respect to the dignity of human persons.

Other recommendations by the CPCR have been published in the previous issue of this paper. For the sake of understanding, I encourage everyone to take a look at all those items again to have a comprehensive grip of what the campaign for changes to the LCP is all about. For those who do not still have the copy, you can write the CPCR at landedstatusnow@yahoo.com and ask them to send you a copy of their campaign text summary and recommendations.

Now is the time for live-in caregivers to say enough is enough. Now is the time for Filipino community to support the call for fundamental changes to the LCP. Note this call by the CPCR is not to scrap the live-in caregiver program. The campaign is calling for both the federal and provincial governments of Canada to effect fundamental changes to the LCP system to correct its own flaws.

The collective voice of all live-in caregivers is much needed now. I know for a fact, based on some interviews and consultation meetings, this workforce sector is crying for changes. No, the live-in caregivers are crying literally for changes in the LCP system. Now is the right time to push whatever essential changes they need. Now is the right time to cry for some relief.

Now is the time to act. (Comments are welcome at usapingmigrante@gmail.com.)