I refer the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, to come into force tomorrow, 9 November 2012.
Having continuously advocated for stronger enforcement of the Act, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) is heartened that MOM has decided to bring the amendments into force promptly. We are particularly encouraged to note that employers will now be held responsible for the care and maintenance of their workers even after the Work Permit expires, or is cancelled. And, that failure to discharge this responsibility can attract prosecution as a Breach of Work Permit Conditions.
Since our establishment in April 2009, we have handled more than 4,500 migrant worker dispute cases in areas ranging from salary, to work injury and other employment-related complaints. A key component of our assistance involves taking over precisely this responsibility for care and maintenance from employers who fail to do so. More than 1 in every 10 workers we assist has required assistance with housing and/or food while awaiting case resolution and it is often migrant NGOs like MWC that take on the function of looking after the welfare of displaced workers. With the revised condition, we are hopeful that some of the imbalance caused by employers abandoning their workers will be better addressed with the imposition of firm but fair penalties.
We are optimistic that with responsible migrant worker employment practices from the point of entry till departure, workers will receive the proper care they deserve. And, as a result of these changes, it will be more difficult for errant employers to shirk their responsibilities.
The amendments also serve to better reflect the seriousness of malpractices, many of which have caused the displacement of migrant workers. With fairer classification between administrative and criminal breaches, we hope the revised law will serve as a stronger deterrent to employers and lead to a significant decrease in the number of distressed workers.
Yeo Guat Kwang
Chairman
Migrant Workers’ Centre
