Maid agencies tell The New Paper on Sunday that when a dispute happens, some employers are prone to imply that their maids are dishonest.

The most common allegation is theft.

Island Maids director Gabriel Ee says: "We have encountered many instances of employers accusing their maids of theft.

"When this happens, we take the maid under our care but all expenses such as accommodation and food will have to be borne by the client."

Maid agencies will also attempt to figure out what happened although their ability to do so is limited, says Mr Ee.

This is because in most cases, employers are unable to provide solid evidence for their accusations.

Mr Ee says: "We ask for details and evidence when they accuse the maid of theft. Most of the time, the response from the employer is they 'think' or 'feel' that the maid did it.

"In the end, it would turn out to be a miscommunication or misunderstanding over the things that went missing."

He adds that if employers have the hard evidence, such as closed-circuit television footage of the act, then the agency would advise them to go to the authorities.

But what happens if evidence is scant and it is simply one word against another?

A spokesman for Striker Employment Agency says maid agencies are poor arbitrators for such cases because the parties involved have plenty of reasons to distort the truth.

The spokesman adds: "We have seen cases where employers lie about the maids for many reasons, such as jealousy at the husband's attention to the maid.

"At the same time, there are maids who deliberately try to anger their employers in order to void their contract and return home."

Ultimately, these accusations can cause distress to maids, especially when a police report is made against them, says Mr Ee.

This is because their work permits will be cancelled and they are given a "special" pass instead, allowing them to stay in Singapore while investigations continue.

In many cases, false or unclear theft allegations get thrown around because either party - the maid or the employers - want a transfer.

RUSE

Ms Christie Foo of Total Maid Agency suggests that such implications of dishonesty could be a ruse, rather than only being out of spite.

She says: "Some employers may use this type of tactics because their intention might be to have a change of maids but they do not want to pay the full cost of doing so."

For many maid agencies, employers have to pay a transfer or placement fee if they wish to have a change of maid before the contract is up.

This can cost around $300 or more, says Ms Foo.

"By saying that the maid's attitude is bad or that she stole something from them, employers hope that agencies would waive these fees."

Mr Ee agrees: "We find that when some clients want a change of maids, they put that thought in us that it is due to dishonesty and embellish their story with accounts of how the maid could have taken something.

"They may find reasons, like theft, to get the transfer costs waived."

While his agency tries to bring peace between the two parties, such as through mediation sessions, it can be an uphill task, he says.

"As a maid agency, we are caught in the crossfire," says Mr Ee.