SINCE its inception five years ago, Pinkcollar, an employment agency for migrant women, has been working hard to reduce exploitative working conditions for foreign maids such as the seizure of identity documents, isolation from family and friends, and movement restrictions.
Located in Kuala Lumpur and managed by co-founders Zenna Law and Sophia Aliza Jamal, Pinkcollar aims to ensure the well-being of foreign maids by placing them in safe, legitimate jobs.
“We exist to improve the living and working conditions of migrant workers and address challenges they face such as homesickness, cultural adjustment, and lack of awareness of their legal rights,” Zenna said.
She added that migrant workers frequently faced prejudice and mistrust. Their employers often confiscated their phones and passports and restricted their movements to ensure contract completion.
Sophia said Pinkcollar provided holistic training covering both hard and soft skills to ensure workers were suitable for the domestic market.
“This includes migration preparedness, emotional resilience, financial management, and professional communication.
“We also ensure that the helpers placed are well-matched to employers’ needs, taking into account job preferences, personality matching, skills, and experiences,” she said.
Sophia said Pinkcollar provided post-placement support to both employers and workers, helping to mediate issues such as medical concerns, miscommunication, and contract compliance.
She said the agency could facilitate worker resignations due to gross misconduct or contract breaches and could ensure that workers were safely repatriated or transferred to new jobs.
Pinkcollar has placed over 500 Filipino and 70 Indonesian maids in live-in, full-time positions since 2019.
Worker-led terminations due to contract violations made up only 1.3% of total Pinkcollar placements, demonstrating that their ethical recruitment model resulted in better treatment of migrant workers.
Zenna said Pinkcollar would continue to ensure ethical recruitment of migrant workers and support the government’s anti-forced labour mandate. – August 17, 2024.
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