The Migrant Workers’ Centre has pledged to do more for foreign workers in Singapore. Its Chairman and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, Yeo Guat Kwang, said the Centre was heartened that the government has promised to continue enforcement efforts to sieve out and punish the minority of errant employers and agents who abuse their migrant workers.
The response came a day after the Ministerial Statement in Parliament on the management of foreign manpower in relation to the Little India Riot Committee of Inquiry Report.
Responding to the media on the many issues raised in Parliament on 7 July 2014, Mr Yeo added that MWC will continue its outreach and education efforts to raise awareness among migrant workers of their rights and educate them about how and where to seek recourse if their rights were infringed upon.
“We will also continue to engage Singaporeans so that they better understand migrant workers. Greater awareness and protection of migrant workers’ rights are crucial to building the kind of gracious and compassionate society that many of us hope of ourselves,” he said.
Setting New Living Standards
Turning to the housing and living conditions for migrant workers, Mr Yeo said MWC was encouraged that the Manpower Ministry will be directing more effort towards not only increasing the supply of migrant worker dormitories, but also towards setting up and policing new standards of livability for dormitory residents.
“The MWC, in fact, advised the formation of the Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited, the main industry association for dormitory operators today precisely so that industry players can come together in engagement with the government to discuss and adopt industry-wide standards that would not only professionalise their services, but more importantly lead to better dormitories benefitting more workers,” said Mr Yeo.
Electronic Salary Payment
According to MWC, one area which still needs work is the payment of salaries.
MWC’s Executive Director (Strategy), Bernard Menon, explained that the Centre has been actively advocating for migrant workers’ salaries to be paid through electronic means such as GIRO to level the playing field between migrant workers and their employers.
“While we are encouraged by MOM having stated that it is looking into mandating GIRO salary payment, we remain concerned about how long it will take to implement what we feel is an urgently needed protection for migrant workers,” he said.
“GIRO salary payment, in our opinion, allows an unbiased, trustworthy, third-party document such as a bank statement to be the recognised, primary documentary proof to evidence the payment of a migrant worker’s salary or otherwise.”
Weeding Out Malpractices
On malpractices by overseas agents, Mr Menon said this has been a longtime challenge for the government and local non-governmental organisations.
To combat this, MWC has partnered the Manpower Ministry to produce a migrant workers’ pre-departure video. The video will be translated into the native languages of the migrant workers and will feature aspects of Singapore’s social and cultural norms, law and order, employment rights and entitlements, and how and where to seek recourse.
Most importantly, Mr Menon said, the pre-departure video aims to bring education about unfair or illegal agency practices and charges as far upstream as possible – the point before migrant workers leave for Singapore.
MWC hopes to start screening the video at the overseas test centres for the construction sector from the second half of this year.
Though more needs to done, it was revealed during the Parliamentary debate that interim findings of a joint survey done by the Manpower Ministry and MWC showed that foreign workers have expressed high levels of satisfaction working in Singapore. The survey, which started in March this year, is expected to be completed in July or August covering some 4,000 foreign workers.
The interim results discussed during the Parliament session was based on interviews done with 930 work permit holders.
Quick Look
Migrant Workers’ Centre Contact:
MWC Serangoon (Headquarters)
579 Serangoon Road
MWC Geylang
82 Geylang Lorong 23 #01-06 Atrix Building
Opening hours: Tues to Fri (9am-7pm); Sat & Sun (11am-3pm)
MWC 24-Hour Hotline: 6536 2692
Original article written by Ramesh Subarraman, and can be found in NTUC This Week (13 July 2014)
