NTUC's reply letter to "55 foreign workers get the boot" (The Straits Times, 14 January 2009)
15 January 2009
Dear Editor,
I refer to The Straits Times article "55 foreign workers get the boot" dated 14 January 2009.
I was quoted as saying, "That this is quite unexpected but they cannot keep the workers with no work at cost to them."
Unfortunately, the full context of what I said was not quoted.
I had explained to The Straits Times reporter that many companies were caught by the sudden economic downturn, which was the case of Tunnel & Shaft, when a construction project was delayed and they had to send back the 55 foreign workers. In this situation, the company had no choice as there were no jobs for the foreign workers and keeping them would be a cost. I had then suggested that in such cases, companies should make some payments to the workers to mitigate their hardship because of the premature termination of their contracts. I further suggested that such payment clauses should be included in the foreign workers' contracts so that they could be legally enforceable. Another suggestion that I had made was for the Ministry of Manpower in special cases to allow companies to consider deploying these workers to other sectors where foreign workers are still needed instead of bringing in new workers. In this way, the affected workers would still have the chance to recover the costs that they had incurred in order to work in Singapore. These other comments that I had made were not quoted, thus creating a misleading impression of what I had said.
Like many Singaporeans, I too feel outraged at the way foreign workers are treated by irresponsible employers. All workers should be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their nationality. We invite foreign workers to our shores to help us grow our economy and build a First World country. We certainly do not want Singapore to be remembered as a Third World country in the treatment of its foreign workers.
Since 1944, the Declaration of Philadelphia had declared that "labour is not a commodity". Sadly, there are still some employers who treat their workers as commodities to be used and then discarded when not needed. I urge employers to be socially responsible in their treatment of all workers. As the problems associated with foreign workers usually escalate during a downturn, I also urge the relevant government agencies to consider the need for a more effective strategy in managing excess foreign manpower in Singapore, and to severely penalise those who exploit or abuse these workers.
Mdm Halimah Yacob
Deputy Secretary-General
National Trades Union Congress
