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Are we to pay workers for staying at home?


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49 minutes ago, Jeanneboo said:

My maid has worked for me for the past nine years and has become a friend.  She is very poor and cannot feed her kids without working.  She came Friday and I gave her full pay through the end of April and told her to stay off the bus.  I am immune suppressed and have no desire to get the virus so I will re-evaluate the situation then.  Anyone who thinks this will last five days needs a reality check.  I am middle class but, comparatively speaking, I live like a queen.  With the exchange rate being what it is, her costs to me are minimal.  Let's share the wealth, people.  Reach out to those who are in trouble and help them.  Businesses are required by law to pay minimum wages to their workers for at least a month.  We should do at least that.

"Anyone who thinks this will last five days needs a reality check"

"Anyone who thinks this will last five days needs a reality check"

"Anyone who thinks this will last five days needs a reality check"

This deserves repeating

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dano1948...Let’s try give our opinion and share our own personal experience without passing judgment.  There are many people without guaranteed monthly income on the employer/employee side.  I have many friends who’s incomes have been cut by 60 to 70%, we’re all feeling the financial pinch, this affects all households, regardless of geographic location, try to muster some compassion for everyone.  

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If I told you what I do for my maid and her family, you would see that trying to get my maid to darn my socks, or cook for me at her house, because I pay her to stay home and be safe, is, yes PATHETIC...We have everything, they have nothing, just trying to balance things out a little!...Not rich, just average dude, who has a heart...Sorry to offend you!..

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21 minutes ago, dano1948 said:

If I told you what I do for my maid and her family, you would see that trying to get my maid to darn my socks, or cook for me at her house, because I pay her to stay home and be safe, is, yes PATHETIC...We have everything, they have nothing, just trying to balance things out a little!...Not rich, just average dude, who has a heart...Sorry to offend you!..

Mmmmmm...NO.  There are plenty of people “who have a heart” that are struggling to provide for their families, employees and co workers.  Because YOU think they are better off than others is an incorrect and an unfair assumption/generalization.  

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I am also paying my help for the duration. I do not want their exposure to be mine and anyway it is a small cost to me and real important to them. With the recent 30% change in the USD to MXN ratio it is even less a sacrifice.

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2 hours ago, dano1948 said:

you would see that trying to get my maid to darn my socks, or cook for me at her house, because I pay her to stay home and be safe, is, yes PATHETIC...

Of course it's not. And anything they can do to make it feel that they are earning the money they are being given without coming to work may actually make the employee feel good, did you ever think of that? Assuming that Mexican maids and gardeners will all feel justified in being paid without giving something in return indicates a certain lack of respect and understanding that they might want to earn that money in some way, instead of just accepting it as a hand-out. But then, gringoes who boast about how much they help out their maids and gardeners on the basis that they have so much more than their staff does tend to be of that mindset, in my experience. 

How about you do you and let others do whatever their conscience tells them to.  

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We are paying our maid full pay til this is over . I do not want her to  be riding the bus during this time for all the reasons we know . I assume most of you pay about what we do so it's not a lot of money to us but it is everything to her . She has come to work ill before , nothing serious , and it's not just for her health but ours and everyone she comes in contact with . Our friends and neighbors seem to be doing the same as us . I would have a hard time respecting someone that leaves their help to take care of themselves during this uncertain time . We are working without a net here .We are not wealthy but if we can't afford a few hundred pesos , that we were spending anyway , to help these people , then maybe we shouldn't be here. Disagree if you must but if you do it says a lot about you, not because I say so but because it's the right thing to do. A lot less talk and a lot more positive action . Pay em , you'll sleep better.

 

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I thought this notice to stay home pertained to people running or working in small businesses that have lots of  customers coming in and out all day, obviously a risky scenario given the situation.  My maid showed up to work.  I speak enough Spanish to chat with her but did not even think to call her beforehand.  She lives near me and does not have to take the bus.  

When she arrived I had a chat with her to see if she understood and was complying with the new sanitary regulations.  She seemed on top of that.  I gave her a copy of El Mural which was full of info about CV and also gave her a small container of disinfectant gel.  She told me she was not taking the bus anywhere - good thing - and that would a good reason to avoid going to work or anyplace else.

She only works for me 2 hours per week, but that gives me, the older person, a rest from having to do the bigger chores of cleaning floors, etc.  How long can older retired people go without someone to do these bigger chores?  So far we assume she will return to work unless things become even more drastic.  It's only people that actually have the virus CV that have to be quarantined completely.  Heads up, this situation could last for a while even though I feel Alfaro is staying on top of it.  Tough times call for tough measures.

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27 minutes ago, ezpz said:

She only works for me 2 hours per week, but that gives me, the older person, a rest from having to do the bigger chores of cleaning floors, etc.  How long can older retired people go without someone to do these bigger chores?  So far we assume she will return to work unless things become even more drastic.  It's only people that actually have the virus CV that have to be quarantined completely.  Heads up, this situation could last for a while even though I feel Alfaro is staying on top of it.  Tough times call for tough measures.

I've never had a housekeeper here (or anywhere).  We've managed to survive ☺️.  Look at it this way, right now I'm guessing you're not throwing any soirees so no one's going to see if there's a breadcrumb on your floor.  Seriously, the heavy stuff can wait!

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We paid our maid for a month and sent her home.  We gave her a choice of working with pay or not working with pay.  She said she was scared so she went home. We are not rich but we can afford to give here 1200P  (4 hours a week) a month until this is over. Now we are very close to her family so maybe that is different from what some people would think. Trying to be diplomatic and nice.

Pay your help if you can. Think about what it means if you don't.

 

P.S I think it is a good experience to remind us what cleaning toilets and such is like as we have been here forever and we are now not use to it as we were in the US.

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2 hours ago, lcscats said:

We paid our maid for a month and sent her home.  We gave her a choice of working with pay or not working with pay.  She said she was scared so she went home. We are not rich but we can afford to give here 1200P  (4 hours a week) a month until this is over. Now we are very close to her family so maybe that is different from what some people would think. Trying to be diplomatic and nice.

Pay your help if you can. Think about what it means if you don't.

 

P.S I think it is a good experience to remind us what cleaning toilets and such is like as we have been here forever and we are now not use to it as we were in the US.

That´s 300 pesos an hour, almost the same as minimum wage in Washington State, US.  Nice if you can afford it, but not in most people´s budget.  If all house keepers were to demand 300 pesos an hour, there would be a lot less working.

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1 minute ago, slainte39 said:

That´s 300 pesos an hour, almost the same as minimum wage in Washington State, US.  Nice if you can afford it, but not in most people´s budget.  If all house keepers were to demand 300 pesos an hour, there would be a lot less working.

I thought that too but it must be 1,200 a month with four hours a week.

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