The following article was first published in the Straits Times on 27 Jun 2009.
Feeding jobless foreigners
By Elizabeth Soh
27 June 2009
Straits Times
Soup kitchen volunteers Francis and Janice Wong visit dorm twice a month to distribute food
FOR the unemployed migrant workers living at Blue Star Dormitory in Boon Lay, their only proper meal comes twice a month.
That is when Mr Francis Wong, 42, and volunteers from St Anthony's Church drop by to distribute 300 packets of vegetable curry rice, along with apples and cookies. The rest of the time, the workers make do with dry bread and water, which is all they can afford.
'Even when they had jobs, things were very tough and most earned about $5 a day. Now those who have lost their jobs in the recession don't know where their next meal will come from,' says Mr Wong, a freelance management consultant on corporate social responsibility.
He and his wife Janice, 41, a former marketing executive who is now a full-time volunteer, run the food distribution project called Soup Kitchen Agape. Along with 10 other volunteers, he sets aside four days a month to prepare meals for the migrant workers.
Work starts on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, when Mrs Wong heads to NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong Supermarket to buy 15kg of rice, 10kg of vegetables, and 300 apples. The next day, at noon, the volunteers come together to wash, chop and cook, then pack six buckets of curry at St Anthony's Church kitchen at Woodlands Avenue 1.
'Quite a few of the volunteers are also victims of the recent economic downturn themselves who got retrenched,' says Mr Wong. 'But they think positively and use their free time to come and help others instead of dwelling on their troubles.'
Six hours later, a convoy of volunteers' cars, loaded with meal packets, wends its way from the church to the Boon Lay dormitory. Almost immediately, a long line of hungry men snakes around the dormitory blocks.
At 6pm, most of the dormitory's 5,000 residents are still hard at work at construction sites and shipyards. Only the out-of-work ones tend to be around. The 300 packets are doled out on a first come, first served basis. When they run out, the rest are sadly turned away.
'We definitely want to expand, and money is not an issue because we have many ready donors, but we need more volunteers to keep this going,' says Mrs Wong.
The Wongs - both Catholics - were first motivated to help after they read horror stories in the newspapers about migrant workers being cheated and left homeless by unscrupulous agents in January last year. They started helping out with a similar food distribution project organised by St Ignatius Church at Blue Star Dormitory for three months and took over when it was discontinued in July last year.
It was tough in the beginning. Often, it was just the two of them running the entire operation, when other volunteers failed to show.
There was also friction with the dormitory's provision store-owner, who felt their free food deliveries were snatching away business. To resolve this, the couple started buying curry ingredients from the store owner, who now supports their work and gives them a substantial discount.
Through it all, the Wongs, who live in a cluster house in Yishun and do not have any children, say their faith has sustained them.
Mrs Wong says: 'Our priest was very supportive and allowed us to use the church kitchens for free. We prayed for sustainability, and it must be working, because so far the cost of the food has always been covered by donations. We have never had to fork out any money from our own pockets so far.'
The cost of preparing 300 meal packets every other week is $500. Most of it is financed by friends, fellow church-goers, and anonymous donors.
'We don't raise more than we need,' says Mr Wong, 'Our donors simply top up the sum to make $500 every time we are short.'
Word about the soup kitchen has since spread and others outside their circle, including retailers, are chipping in to help. On top of the curry rice, the workers now enjoy desserts of red bean buns, French loaves and doughnuts donated by bakery Sweet Secrets. Along with food, they once even received second-hand jeans, courtesy of Levi's.
Recently, the Wongs were given a few hundred tins of canned tuna, just shy of their expiry date from a mystery donor. Placing the workers' safety before their own, they sampled it first before dishing it out. 'They are human too, we cannot serve them spoilt food just because it is free,' says Mr Wong.
Besides filling their stomachs, the Wongs and their volunteers also spend time at the dormitory learning more about the workers' needs and figuring out how else to help them.
'The workers tell me about their problems,' says retired businessman Paul Raj, 67, a volunteer since February. 'I hear about their lack of jobs, how they cannot even get one shift in a whole week, and try to comfort them as best as I can.'
Through their conversations, Mr Wong found out that some jobless workers eat a proper meal only once every two or three days. 'They can't even afford to take public transport to get free food from restaurants in Little India at Desker Road, so we know we have to take it to them,' he says.
He and his wife are quick to dismiss any notions of heroism on their part.
'We don't see this as charity, because all of us get so much in return in terms of fulfilment and meaning,' says Mrs Wong. 'We have been paid back many times for the little effort that we put in.'
However, they are heroes to those they help.
Indian national P. Vairamani, 26, who works as a labourer in a petrochemical company and has seen his income dip from $700 to $450 a month this year, says: 'My friends and I are happy and touched that they are here to help.
'They try very hard for us, even making vegetarian curry so all of us can eat. I feel very moved.'
UNCERTAIN MEALS
'Even when they had jobs, things were very tough and most earned about $5 a day. Now those who have lost their jobs in the recession don't know where their next meal will come from.'
Mr Francis Wong, a freelance management consultant on corporate social responsibility.
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Fatal accident on Marina Bay Sands - foreign worker killed by collapsed brick wall
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 27 June 2009.
Firm fined $100k over IR worksite death
By Elena Chong
27 June 2009
Straits Times
A CONSTRUCTION company was fined $100,000 yesterday over a fatal accident on the worksite of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, where a brick wall collapsed on a foreign worker.
A representative of Lian Beng Construction, the occupier of the worksite, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a safe workplace on Jan 16 last year.
In the same court, Indian national Pitchai Alagarsamy, 40, the former foreman of Soon Li Heng Civil Engineering, was fined $800 - $200 shy of the maximum fine - for failing to work with Lian Beng to stop the wall from being backfilled.
This safety breach resulted in the death of Mr Xie Xu Han, 39, who died of multiple fractures.
Lian Beng was contracted by Marina Bay Sands to build the sub-structure for the three hotel towers on the site; Lian Beng sub-contracted Soon Li Heng to carry out the earthworks on the site, Ministry of Manpower prosecutor Danny Han told the court.
The accident happened while a basement was being built. As one part was progressing ahead of the other, a gravity wall was to be erected to demarcate and separate the work areas.
Investigations showed that a brick wall was erected to act as a formwork for the gravity wall.
Not supported with any other structure, the backfilled brick wall collapsed onto the Chinese national.
The court heard that a few hours before the accident, Alagarsamy had seen the brick formwork being backfilled with earth. He did nothing to stop it although he had been told backfilling should not be done.
Lian Beng's lawyer Raymond Chan said that, following the accident, steps have been taken to improve workplace safety. Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, the company could have been fined up to $500,000.
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Firm fined $100k over IR worksite death
By Elena Chong
27 June 2009
Straits Times
A CONSTRUCTION company was fined $100,000 yesterday over a fatal accident on the worksite of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, where a brick wall collapsed on a foreign worker.
A representative of Lian Beng Construction, the occupier of the worksite, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a safe workplace on Jan 16 last year.
In the same court, Indian national Pitchai Alagarsamy, 40, the former foreman of Soon Li Heng Civil Engineering, was fined $800 - $200 shy of the maximum fine - for failing to work with Lian Beng to stop the wall from being backfilled.
This safety breach resulted in the death of Mr Xie Xu Han, 39, who died of multiple fractures.
Lian Beng was contracted by Marina Bay Sands to build the sub-structure for the three hotel towers on the site; Lian Beng sub-contracted Soon Li Heng to carry out the earthworks on the site, Ministry of Manpower prosecutor Danny Han told the court.
The accident happened while a basement was being built. As one part was progressing ahead of the other, a gravity wall was to be erected to demarcate and separate the work areas.
Investigations showed that a brick wall was erected to act as a formwork for the gravity wall.
Not supported with any other structure, the backfilled brick wall collapsed onto the Chinese national.
The court heard that a few hours before the accident, Alagarsamy had seen the brick formwork being backfilled with earth. He did nothing to stop it although he had been told backfilling should not be done.
Lian Beng's lawyer Raymond Chan said that, following the accident, steps have been taken to improve workplace safety. Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, the company could have been fined up to $500,000.
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Friday, June 26, 2009
Hiring offences - five charged
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 26 June 2009.
Hiring offences: Five charged
By Khushwant Singh
26 June 2009
Straits Times
FIVE men were charged yesterday with making false statements to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) related to their hiring of foreign workers.
In all, they faced more than 120 charges.
The one with the most was Wong Seng Kiong, 57, of Guo Tai Mei Trading, who racked up 36 counts of providing false statements in applications for work passes for foreigners as well as 'phantom workers'.
Phantom workers are Singaporeans fraudulently listed as having been hired so that the employer becomes eligible to employ more foreign workers.
Wong faces another seven charges for recovering the foreign worker levy from the workers.
The person with the second-highest number of charges was Tan Guan Lai, 51, who had to answer to 34 counts of lying to MOM.
Low Ah Moi, 61, faced 28 similar charges.
The fourth man charged was Alfred Sim Kheng Swee, 45. He faced 20 counts of instigating, aiding or conspiring with an accomplice to provide false statements to MOM, and another four of breaching the conditions of the work passes issued to four workers by deploying them to other jobs.
The last man charged was Leong Chee Cheong, 59, who ran up eight counts of providing false statements to MOM.
The cases against the five will come before the court next month. All of them, except Leong, are out on bail of $15,000 each.
Leong, who is in a drug rehabilitation centre, said he had no one to bail him out.
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Hiring offences: Five charged
By Khushwant Singh
26 June 2009
Straits Times
FIVE men were charged yesterday with making false statements to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) related to their hiring of foreign workers.
In all, they faced more than 120 charges.
The one with the most was Wong Seng Kiong, 57, of Guo Tai Mei Trading, who racked up 36 counts of providing false statements in applications for work passes for foreigners as well as 'phantom workers'.
Phantom workers are Singaporeans fraudulently listed as having been hired so that the employer becomes eligible to employ more foreign workers.
Wong faces another seven charges for recovering the foreign worker levy from the workers.
The person with the second-highest number of charges was Tan Guan Lai, 51, who had to answer to 34 counts of lying to MOM.
Low Ah Moi, 61, faced 28 similar charges.
The fourth man charged was Alfred Sim Kheng Swee, 45. He faced 20 counts of instigating, aiding or conspiring with an accomplice to provide false statements to MOM, and another four of breaching the conditions of the work passes issued to four workers by deploying them to other jobs.
The last man charged was Leong Chee Cheong, 59, who ran up eight counts of providing false statements to MOM.
The cases against the five will come before the court next month. All of them, except Leong, are out on bail of $15,000 each.
Leong, who is in a drug rehabilitation centre, said he had no one to bail him out.
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Sunday, June 21, 2009
28 Chinese workers refuse to board plane over unpaid salary
The following article was published on The Online Citizen on 21 June 2009. You can access the article here.
28 Chinese workers refuse to return home
Chinese workers allege that their company has not paid their wages in full, to lodge complaint with Ministry of Manpower.
21 JUNE 2009 — Lianhe Wanbao reported that 28 Chinese workers charge that their employer, a construction firm owes them a total of about $200,000 in wages and refuse to board a flight back to Shanghai.
The workers were supposed to leave on a flight back for Shanghai on Saturday but they decided to stay on when they discovered that their wages have not been reimbursed in full. They intend to press the company for the money owed, and will head to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Monday to lodge their complaints if they do not receive a satisfactory response.
As their permits have expired, they were afraid to leave the airport Saturday. They intend to remain at the airport on Sunday.
Lianhe Wanbao quoted one of the workers as saying that the company had paid their wages on Friday before notifying them that they would be sent home the next day.
He continued that the workers had discovered the wages were not paid in full, but the company management said that the matter will be settled before the flight.
When the company made no settlement, the workers decided to stay on in Singapore to protest.
Wanbao also quoted one of the workers Mr Wang, 35 as saying that the company deducted a monthly amount of $330 as a form of bond, and promised that the money will be returned to the workers on their return to China. But the workers have only received back $130 out of $330. Some of the workers had been working in Singapore for almost 20 months.
Meanwhile, the company maintains that the wages have been paid in full to the workers.
Here is the full story in Mandarin, published in the Lianhe Wanbao. You can access the article here.
Reproduced photo caption: 客工说，他们将在机场逗留到明天早上，之后将往人力部投诉以讨回公道。
28客工投诉投诉公司欠20万工资 拒绝登机回国
28名中国客工，投诉公司拖欠近20万元工资，拒绝登机回国！
他们声称，将会在机场逗留到明天早上，如果公司还是没有给他们一个交代，将前往人力部投诉，以讨回公道。
据《联合晚报》了解，这些客工原本应乘搭昨天下午4时左右的班机回返上海，可是临上机前一刻，他们发现公司发出的工资，平均每人竟少了近7000元，总数高达19万6000元，忿忿不平之下众人决定留下，要向公司追讨他们应得的工资。
由于他们的准证都已逾期，他们昨晚不敢离开机场一步，并打算在今晚也将会留宿机场。
《联合晚报》记者今早接获读者拨打热线通知，指樟宜机场第3搭客大厦有一批客工滞留不愿回国，于是赶往机场了解情况。
一名客工代表金先生告诉记者，他们28人都是同一家建筑公司的工人，在不同的工地工作。
他说，他们是在星期五（19日）下午接近下班时间，各自获公司发出一笔工资后，并被告知将于隔天（星期六）回国。
“我们当时已发现工资的数额不足，可是当时负责人声称会在我们上机前替我们解决。”
结果，他们在昨天下午1时左右被公司安排交通送往机场，在临登机前却仍未获得公司发出剩余的工资，向负责的经理追讨不果后，众人最终决定拒绝上机以示抗议。
每人平均被欠7000元
另一名客工王经淘（35岁）说，他们每人平均被拖欠7000元。他指公司每个月扣除他们工资约330元作为抵押金，并答应会在他们回国时会全数退还，可是他们如今回国时却只获得其中每月的130元，少了另外200元，令他们不满。
他们声称大部分已在我国工作了约20个月，准证是在本月18日到期。
经理：已全数发还 公司没欠工资
公司经理声称，公司内部已经计算了全数的工资给这批客工，如果客工选择不回国，公司也没有办法。
金先生说，他们昨天在机场一度与负责送他们到机场的经理僵持不下，因对方坚称公司已没有拖欠他们工资。
“我们每个人都有计算了我们应得的工资，因此是多是少我们都很清楚，可是公司却要我们离开。”
金先生说，他们一行28人昨晚已因此事而彻夜难眠，今晚还要在机场留宿，但是大家虽然都已疲惫不堪，却表示不会放弃，坚持要讨回公道。
28 Chinese workers refuse to return home
Chinese workers allege that their company has not paid their wages in full, to lodge complaint with Ministry of Manpower.
21 JUNE 2009 — Lianhe Wanbao reported that 28 Chinese workers charge that their employer, a construction firm owes them a total of about $200,000 in wages and refuse to board a flight back to Shanghai.
The workers were supposed to leave on a flight back for Shanghai on Saturday but they decided to stay on when they discovered that their wages have not been reimbursed in full. They intend to press the company for the money owed, and will head to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Monday to lodge their complaints if they do not receive a satisfactory response.
As their permits have expired, they were afraid to leave the airport Saturday. They intend to remain at the airport on Sunday.
Lianhe Wanbao quoted one of the workers as saying that the company had paid their wages on Friday before notifying them that they would be sent home the next day.
He continued that the workers had discovered the wages were not paid in full, but the company management said that the matter will be settled before the flight.
When the company made no settlement, the workers decided to stay on in Singapore to protest.
Wanbao also quoted one of the workers Mr Wang, 35 as saying that the company deducted a monthly amount of $330 as a form of bond, and promised that the money will be returned to the workers on their return to China. But the workers have only received back $130 out of $330. Some of the workers had been working in Singapore for almost 20 months.
Meanwhile, the company maintains that the wages have been paid in full to the workers.
Here is the full story in Mandarin, published in the Lianhe Wanbao. You can access the article here.
Reproduced photo caption: 客工说，他们将在机场逗留到明天早上，之后将往人力部投诉以讨回公道。
28客工投诉投诉公司欠20万工资 拒绝登机回国
28名中国客工，投诉公司拖欠近20万元工资，拒绝登机回国！
他们声称，将会在机场逗留到明天早上，如果公司还是没有给他们一个交代，将前往人力部投诉，以讨回公道。
据《联合晚报》了解，这些客工原本应乘搭昨天下午4时左右的班机回返上海，可是临上机前一刻，他们发现公司发出的工资，平均每人竟少了近7000元，总数高达19万6000元，忿忿不平之下众人决定留下，要向公司追讨他们应得的工资。
由于他们的准证都已逾期，他们昨晚不敢离开机场一步，并打算在今晚也将会留宿机场。
《联合晚报》记者今早接获读者拨打热线通知，指樟宜机场第3搭客大厦有一批客工滞留不愿回国，于是赶往机场了解情况。
一名客工代表金先生告诉记者，他们28人都是同一家建筑公司的工人，在不同的工地工作。
他说，他们是在星期五（19日）下午接近下班时间，各自获公司发出一笔工资后，并被告知将于隔天（星期六）回国。
“我们当时已发现工资的数额不足，可是当时负责人声称会在我们上机前替我们解决。”
结果，他们在昨天下午1时左右被公司安排交通送往机场，在临登机前却仍未获得公司发出剩余的工资，向负责的经理追讨不果后，众人最终决定拒绝上机以示抗议。
每人平均被欠7000元
另一名客工王经淘（35岁）说，他们每人平均被拖欠7000元。他指公司每个月扣除他们工资约330元作为抵押金，并答应会在他们回国时会全数退还，可是他们如今回国时却只获得其中每月的130元，少了另外200元，令他们不满。
他们声称大部分已在我国工作了约20个月，准证是在本月18日到期。
经理：已全数发还 公司没欠工资
公司经理声称，公司内部已经计算了全数的工资给这批客工，如果客工选择不回国，公司也没有办法。
金先生说，他们昨天在机场一度与负责送他们到机场的经理僵持不下，因对方坚称公司已没有拖欠他们工资。
“我们每个人都有计算了我们应得的工资，因此是多是少我们都很清楚，可是公司却要我们离开。”
金先生说，他们一行28人昨晚已因此事而彻夜难眠，今晚还要在机场留宿，但是大家虽然都已疲惫不堪，却表示不会放弃，坚持要讨回公道。
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Responses to allegations of foreign workers 'job-hopping'
The following letters were published in the Straits Times Forum page on 18 June 2009.
'Many construction workers from China have sought our assistance because of unfair working conditions.'
MR JOLOVAN WHAM, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home): 'Home does not condone job-hopping among workers, local or foreign. However, it is important to understand why some migrant workers terminate their employment before their contracts are up. In the past year, many construction workers from China have sought our assistance because of unfair working conditions and unreasonable demands from their employers. Apart from three months of withheld wages, late payments and deductions, they are also asked to work long hours.'
EXPLOITED FOREIGN WORKERS - Let's acknowledge the underlying reasons for leaving jobs
I REFER to Tuesday's article, 'Quit a job, fly home...then return to a higher paid one', which describes foreign workers from China embroiled in wage disputes as 'job-hoppers'.
First, the article neglects the underlying push factors workers cite when leaving such exploitative jobs. I have spoken to a significant number of China construction workers who work long hours (24-hour shifts have been noted), seven days a week, and without overtime pay. While workers generally file official complaints of unpaid wages, many also endure poor quality meals, oppressive managerial control and abject living conditions.
Second, glibly describing foreign workers as 'job-hoppers' ignores the fact that the work permit system makes this a difficult and expensive task. Work permit holders are not allowed to switch employers in Singapore. Once they return to China, they have to pay agency fees ranging in the thousands once more in order to return, increasing debts they have yet to repay, particularly if they have been in Singapore for only a short while.
Third, job-hopping is cited as a serious issue of concern among white-collar professionals in Singapore ('Job-hopping, poaching drive up staff costs'; Business Times, April 3 last year). In response, companies are encouraged to find ways to attract and retain staff.
In other words, when white-collar professionals leave one job for another, whether due to better pay, career enhancement opportunities or greater job fulfilment, this is viewed as pragmatic and reasonable. The rational response, in this case, is for companies to ensure staff will be motivated to stay.
Yet when foreign workers on work permits leave jobs with poor working conditions and low pay to seek better opportunities, this is viewed as unreasonable. Instead of treating workers fairly and paying them better, companies cite cash-flow problems and logistics. While such claims may be true, this should not excuse violations of employment law such as withholding pay. Moreover, there is a double standard at work here that requires deeper examination.
Stephanie Chok (Ms)
The letters were responses to a Straits Times article published on 16 June 2009, reproduced below.
Quit a job, fly home...then return to a higher paid one
By Melissa Sim & Goh Yi Han
SOME employers of foreign workers say they are grappling with a problem of job-hopping China workers.
Three out of five employers contacted by The Straits Times said they had workers who got themselves released from their contracts by claiming they had not been paid.
The workers then went home, only to return to Singapore soon after to work for other companies.
The employers interviewed said that China workers were more likely than other foreigners to try to end their work contracts early in order to take up new job offers.
'Some of my workers have seen their ex-colleagues on the streets here barely a month after they settled their claims with us and went back to China,' said a contractor who did not want to be named.
Job-hopping by work permit holders is frowned on by the Manpower Ministry (MOM), which said last Friday that 'workers should not breach their contractual obligations and then turn to MOM in a bid to overturn those obligations, claim extra monies from their employer and job-hop to another employer in Singapore'.
The employers accused other companies here of poaching their workers brazenly, with offers of bigger pay.
For example, some offer to pay $8 per hour, twice what the workers earn, said one contractor. China workers tend to earn slightly over $1,000 a month, including overtime.
Some companies' poaching efforts are said to include going to workers' dormitories to distribute flyers advertising better pay or work conditions.
The director of one company claimed that more than 20 of her workers were poached last year.
Employers said work permit holders who want to break their contracts without facing penalties cry foul by claiming that they have not been paid their wages.
Industry players said some companies start paying new workers only three months after they begin work. So a worker who starts work in January will receive his first month's pay only in April.
Some companies claim they do this because of cash-flow issues, or coping with the logistics of working out overtime and incentive payments.
But it is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act not to pay salaries on time and employers can be fined up to $5,000 and jailed for up to six months for breaches.
More than 50 companies have been hauled up by the MOM's task force, with 13 employers convicted this year alone of not paying salaries to their workers.
One company involved in the construction of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, Xuyi Building Engineering, has had 25 workers turning to MOM between March and May, complaining that they had not been paid on time.
All but two have settled with the company and returned to China.
Mr Li Ai Dong, 41, and Mr Xu Yuecheng, 36, are taking their complaints to MOM's labour court. Both told The Straits Times they had no new jobs lined up.
A spokesman for the advocacy group for foreign workers, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), said employers who do not want to lose their workers should treat them fairly and pay them on time.
MOM advised employers to ensure that their employment terms, benefits and obligations are clearly stated in work contracts so both parties understand their respective commitments.
'Many construction workers from China have sought our assistance because of unfair working conditions.'
MR JOLOVAN WHAM, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home): 'Home does not condone job-hopping among workers, local or foreign. However, it is important to understand why some migrant workers terminate their employment before their contracts are up. In the past year, many construction workers from China have sought our assistance because of unfair working conditions and unreasonable demands from their employers. Apart from three months of withheld wages, late payments and deductions, they are also asked to work long hours.'
EXPLOITED FOREIGN WORKERS - Let's acknowledge the underlying reasons for leaving jobs
I REFER to Tuesday's article, 'Quit a job, fly home...then return to a higher paid one', which describes foreign workers from China embroiled in wage disputes as 'job-hoppers'.
First, the article neglects the underlying push factors workers cite when leaving such exploitative jobs. I have spoken to a significant number of China construction workers who work long hours (24-hour shifts have been noted), seven days a week, and without overtime pay. While workers generally file official complaints of unpaid wages, many also endure poor quality meals, oppressive managerial control and abject living conditions.
Second, glibly describing foreign workers as 'job-hoppers' ignores the fact that the work permit system makes this a difficult and expensive task. Work permit holders are not allowed to switch employers in Singapore. Once they return to China, they have to pay agency fees ranging in the thousands once more in order to return, increasing debts they have yet to repay, particularly if they have been in Singapore for only a short while.
Third, job-hopping is cited as a serious issue of concern among white-collar professionals in Singapore ('Job-hopping, poaching drive up staff costs'; Business Times, April 3 last year). In response, companies are encouraged to find ways to attract and retain staff.
In other words, when white-collar professionals leave one job for another, whether due to better pay, career enhancement opportunities or greater job fulfilment, this is viewed as pragmatic and reasonable. The rational response, in this case, is for companies to ensure staff will be motivated to stay.
Yet when foreign workers on work permits leave jobs with poor working conditions and low pay to seek better opportunities, this is viewed as unreasonable. Instead of treating workers fairly and paying them better, companies cite cash-flow problems and logistics. While such claims may be true, this should not excuse violations of employment law such as withholding pay. Moreover, there is a double standard at work here that requires deeper examination.
Stephanie Chok (Ms)
The letters were responses to a Straits Times article published on 16 June 2009, reproduced below.
Quit a job, fly home...then return to a higher paid one
By Melissa Sim & Goh Yi Han
SOME employers of foreign workers say they are grappling with a problem of job-hopping China workers.
Three out of five employers contacted by The Straits Times said they had workers who got themselves released from their contracts by claiming they had not been paid.
The workers then went home, only to return to Singapore soon after to work for other companies.
The employers interviewed said that China workers were more likely than other foreigners to try to end their work contracts early in order to take up new job offers.
'Some of my workers have seen their ex-colleagues on the streets here barely a month after they settled their claims with us and went back to China,' said a contractor who did not want to be named.
Job-hopping by work permit holders is frowned on by the Manpower Ministry (MOM), which said last Friday that 'workers should not breach their contractual obligations and then turn to MOM in a bid to overturn those obligations, claim extra monies from their employer and job-hop to another employer in Singapore'.
The employers accused other companies here of poaching their workers brazenly, with offers of bigger pay.
For example, some offer to pay $8 per hour, twice what the workers earn, said one contractor. China workers tend to earn slightly over $1,000 a month, including overtime.
Some companies' poaching efforts are said to include going to workers' dormitories to distribute flyers advertising better pay or work conditions.
The director of one company claimed that more than 20 of her workers were poached last year.
Employers said work permit holders who want to break their contracts without facing penalties cry foul by claiming that they have not been paid their wages.
Industry players said some companies start paying new workers only three months after they begin work. So a worker who starts work in January will receive his first month's pay only in April.
Some companies claim they do this because of cash-flow issues, or coping with the logistics of working out overtime and incentive payments.
But it is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act not to pay salaries on time and employers can be fined up to $5,000 and jailed for up to six months for breaches.
More than 50 companies have been hauled up by the MOM's task force, with 13 employers convicted this year alone of not paying salaries to their workers.
One company involved in the construction of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, Xuyi Building Engineering, has had 25 workers turning to MOM between March and May, complaining that they had not been paid on time.
All but two have settled with the company and returned to China.
Mr Li Ai Dong, 41, and Mr Xu Yuecheng, 36, are taking their complaints to MOM's labour court. Both told The Straits Times they had no new jobs lined up.
A spokesman for the advocacy group for foreign workers, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), said employers who do not want to lose their workers should treat them fairly and pay them on time.
MOM advised employers to ensure that their employment terms, benefits and obligations are clearly stated in work contracts so both parties understand their respective commitments.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
25 China construction workers cause a stir
The following article was published in the Business Times on 13 June 2009.
25 China construction workers cause a stir
By Arthur Sim
13 June 2009
Business Times Singapore
They wanted to leave for better paying jobs and were hoping MOM would help them get out of their contracts
SOME construction workers from China are causing a bit of a stir on construction sites in Singapore by job-hopping and leaving others to clean up the mess.
Recently, the BBC reported that a few workers from the Marina Bay Sands site had gone on 'strike' over salary issues. The workers then went to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to seek mediation over the matter.
It emerged that the workers had intended to leave their jobs with Xuyi Building Engineering Co for better paying jobs and were hoping that MOM would help them get out of their contractual obligations. This included paying Xuyi penalties for the early termination of their employment contracts.
In a press statement released yesterday, MOM said that while workers can approach the ministry for advice and assistance to resolve employment disputes, 'workers should not breach their contractual obligations and then turn to MOM in a bid to overturn those obligations, claim extra monies from their employer and job-hop to another employer in Singapore'.
Job-hopping is not widespread. Only 25 workers were involved in the latest dispute.
Simon Lee, executive director of the Singapore Contractors Association also said: 'General construction workers normally complete their term of employment with the employer and any change of employer would only occur after the expiry of their work permit or at the stage of renewal of their work permit.'
He did add that there has been some feedback on job hopping among foreign construction workers who have worked a number of years in the industry and have obtained their permanent resident status.
Another construction employment company said that job-hopping was quite normal and workers would leave for a 10-20 per cent increase in salary.
Job-hopping is not condoned by the MOM and indeed, workers who terminate their contracts early in hope of getting better paying jobs are required to return to their country of residence and re-apply for the necessary employment passes.
Still it is understood that of the 25 workers that approached MOM for help, 23 returned to China after resolving salary issues with Xuyi and have since reapplied to work in Singapore.
The remaining two workers have decided to take their case to MOM's labour court.
A spokeswoman for Xuyi said that it has been experiencing poaching of workers from smaller contractors without the capacity to directly recruit workers from foreign countries. 'As we know, those employers have even penetrated into our workers' dormitories to entice our employees to shift jobs,' she added.
For the construction industry, job-hopping has other implications. Apart from the red tape and cost of bringing workers into Singapore, certain restrictions on the quota of foreign workers allowed on each site means that once a worker quits a particular site, the employer, or in this case the sub-contractor, is not allowed to replace the worker.
Xuyi also added that it only recruits the exact number of workers it needs for a particular project so if any leave, it could affect the construction schedule.
Xuyi has been supplying labour to the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) project and until recently, to Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) too.
MBS has over 10,000 workers on site and a spokeswoman told BT: 'Construction work has not been affected by any labour action.'
'Construction is proceeding well with the hotel towers on-track to be topped out next month,' she added.
RWS says it has close to 4,000 workers on site with about 2,000 working at the Universal Studios Singapore site. It has not experienced any delays due to labour disputes either.
There have been several labour disputes concerning Chinese workers recently. And while isolated, they have received considerable attention.
John Gee, president of the NGO Transient Workers Count Too (TWCT), notes that Chinese workers in particular are 'media savvy'. It is understood that the Xuji workers, with the help of another NGO, alerted the BBC to their plight.
Still, Mr Gee says that the motivation to change jobs is understandable. 'Under other circumstances, changing jobs would be seen as ambitious,' he added.
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
25 China construction workers cause a stir
By Arthur Sim
13 June 2009
Business Times Singapore
They wanted to leave for better paying jobs and were hoping MOM would help them get out of their contracts
SOME construction workers from China are causing a bit of a stir on construction sites in Singapore by job-hopping and leaving others to clean up the mess.
Recently, the BBC reported that a few workers from the Marina Bay Sands site had gone on 'strike' over salary issues. The workers then went to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to seek mediation over the matter.
It emerged that the workers had intended to leave their jobs with Xuyi Building Engineering Co for better paying jobs and were hoping that MOM would help them get out of their contractual obligations. This included paying Xuyi penalties for the early termination of their employment contracts.
In a press statement released yesterday, MOM said that while workers can approach the ministry for advice and assistance to resolve employment disputes, 'workers should not breach their contractual obligations and then turn to MOM in a bid to overturn those obligations, claim extra monies from their employer and job-hop to another employer in Singapore'.
Job-hopping is not widespread. Only 25 workers were involved in the latest dispute.
Simon Lee, executive director of the Singapore Contractors Association also said: 'General construction workers normally complete their term of employment with the employer and any change of employer would only occur after the expiry of their work permit or at the stage of renewal of their work permit.'
He did add that there has been some feedback on job hopping among foreign construction workers who have worked a number of years in the industry and have obtained their permanent resident status.
Another construction employment company said that job-hopping was quite normal and workers would leave for a 10-20 per cent increase in salary.
Job-hopping is not condoned by the MOM and indeed, workers who terminate their contracts early in hope of getting better paying jobs are required to return to their country of residence and re-apply for the necessary employment passes.
Still it is understood that of the 25 workers that approached MOM for help, 23 returned to China after resolving salary issues with Xuyi and have since reapplied to work in Singapore.
The remaining two workers have decided to take their case to MOM's labour court.
A spokeswoman for Xuyi said that it has been experiencing poaching of workers from smaller contractors without the capacity to directly recruit workers from foreign countries. 'As we know, those employers have even penetrated into our workers' dormitories to entice our employees to shift jobs,' she added.
For the construction industry, job-hopping has other implications. Apart from the red tape and cost of bringing workers into Singapore, certain restrictions on the quota of foreign workers allowed on each site means that once a worker quits a particular site, the employer, or in this case the sub-contractor, is not allowed to replace the worker.
Xuyi also added that it only recruits the exact number of workers it needs for a particular project so if any leave, it could affect the construction schedule.
Xuyi has been supplying labour to the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) project and until recently, to Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) too.
MBS has over 10,000 workers on site and a spokeswoman told BT: 'Construction work has not been affected by any labour action.'
'Construction is proceeding well with the hotel towers on-track to be topped out next month,' she added.
RWS says it has close to 4,000 workers on site with about 2,000 working at the Universal Studios Singapore site. It has not experienced any delays due to labour disputes either.
There have been several labour disputes concerning Chinese workers recently. And while isolated, they have received considerable attention.
John Gee, president of the NGO Transient Workers Count Too (TWCT), notes that Chinese workers in particular are 'media savvy'. It is understood that the Xuji workers, with the help of another NGO, alerted the BBC to their plight.
Still, Mr Gee says that the motivation to change jobs is understandable. 'Under other circumstances, changing jobs would be seen as ambitious,' he added.
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Friday, June 12, 2009
Another day, another accusation
The following post was published by Straits Times Blogs on 12 June 2009.
Carl Skadian lays out the facts behind a recent incident involving foreign workers.
June 12, 2009 Friday, 06:53 PM
WHEN my editor showed me a blog posting accusing The Straits Times of not reporting negative news on Singapore, I told him I think we should respond to the unfair charge.
We don't usually do so because we don't want to spend half our time rebutting unsubstantiated accusations against this newspaper. But in this case, I felt it was unfair, especially to the reporter who had been tracking this story.
In his posting, the blogger referred to a report by the BBC, headlined "Casino's builders strike over pay", which is being circulated widely on the Net. He repeated the assertions in the report, including how workers at the Marina Bay IR were "being subjected to oppressive conditions, forced to meet crushing deadlines while their monthly/OT pay was being withheld".
Then, he turned to The ST: There was not a single word in the paper on the "strike", he said, adding: "The claim that the The ST is 'balanced' - not just a government mouthpiece - seems to hold much less water now."
He went on: "It's a real shame and tragedy when we have to realise on (sic) a foreign news agency like the BBC to do the reporting for us. And this case isn't even about testing political OB markers (i.e. WSJ), but about basic socioeconomic conditions not being met."
The truth of the matter is that we knew about this particular case, but decided it wasn't worth running because it involved a small group of workers not being paid. It's not quite what the headline on the foreign news agency report which led to the blogger's accusation - "Casino's builders strike over pay" - made it out to be.
These are the facts:
Between March and May this year, 25 workers from a firm called Xuyi, which supplies labour to a sub-contractor working on the Marina Bay IR, approached the Ministry of Manpower and claimed that they had not been paid. Note that there's a total workforce of some 10,000 at the IR, some employed by the main contractor and others by the dozens of sub-contractors.
On May 5th, 13 of the 25 stopped work. They then lodged a complaint with the MOM.
After the MOM mediated, most accepted compensation from the ministry and left the country. Two declined, and are now awaiting a hearing into their case at the Labour Court.
ST has been aware of this development for some time, and we called the IR to check if work has been affected. It has not.
The case is also not much different from several others - some involving over 100 workers - that this newspaper has reported on from time to time, complete with picture coverage.
ST believes any worker here has rights that must be protected, and we are continuing our efforts to uncover cases where this has not been done. We've put some questions to the MOM on the Marina Bay case, and we hope to report on some developments soon.
Given these facts, perhaps the question to ask is: Was the foreign agency's story a case of making a mountain out of a molehill?
Were workers at the IR really "subjected to oppressive conditions, forced to meet crushing deadlines while their monthly/OT pay was being withheld"?
At the ST, we value constructive criticism. It drives us to keep getting better.
Sometimes, though, all we ask for is fair shake.
Carl Skadian lays out the facts behind a recent incident involving foreign workers.
June 12, 2009 Friday, 06:53 PM
WHEN my editor showed me a blog posting accusing The Straits Times of not reporting negative news on Singapore, I told him I think we should respond to the unfair charge.
We don't usually do so because we don't want to spend half our time rebutting unsubstantiated accusations against this newspaper. But in this case, I felt it was unfair, especially to the reporter who had been tracking this story.
In his posting, the blogger referred to a report by the BBC, headlined "Casino's builders strike over pay", which is being circulated widely on the Net. He repeated the assertions in the report, including how workers at the Marina Bay IR were "being subjected to oppressive conditions, forced to meet crushing deadlines while their monthly/OT pay was being withheld".
Then, he turned to The ST: There was not a single word in the paper on the "strike", he said, adding: "The claim that the The ST is 'balanced' - not just a government mouthpiece - seems to hold much less water now."
He went on: "It's a real shame and tragedy when we have to realise on (sic) a foreign news agency like the BBC to do the reporting for us. And this case isn't even about testing political OB markers (i.e. WSJ), but about basic socioeconomic conditions not being met."
The truth of the matter is that we knew about this particular case, but decided it wasn't worth running because it involved a small group of workers not being paid. It's not quite what the headline on the foreign news agency report which led to the blogger's accusation - "Casino's builders strike over pay" - made it out to be.
These are the facts:
Between March and May this year, 25 workers from a firm called Xuyi, which supplies labour to a sub-contractor working on the Marina Bay IR, approached the Ministry of Manpower and claimed that they had not been paid. Note that there's a total workforce of some 10,000 at the IR, some employed by the main contractor and others by the dozens of sub-contractors.
On May 5th, 13 of the 25 stopped work. They then lodged a complaint with the MOM.
After the MOM mediated, most accepted compensation from the ministry and left the country. Two declined, and are now awaiting a hearing into their case at the Labour Court.
ST has been aware of this development for some time, and we called the IR to check if work has been affected. It has not.
The case is also not much different from several others - some involving over 100 workers - that this newspaper has reported on from time to time, complete with picture coverage.
ST believes any worker here has rights that must be protected, and we are continuing our efforts to uncover cases where this has not been done. We've put some questions to the MOM on the Marina Bay case, and we hope to report on some developments soon.
Given these facts, perhaps the question to ask is: Was the foreign agency's story a case of making a mountain out of a molehill?
Were workers at the IR really "subjected to oppressive conditions, forced to meet crushing deadlines while their monthly/OT pay was being withheld"?
At the ST, we value constructive criticism. It drives us to keep getting better.
Sometimes, though, all we ask for is fair shake.
'Run worksites like army camp'
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 12 June 2009.
'Run worksites like army camp'
Jermyn Chow
580 words
12 June 2009
Straits Times
Repeat safety drills so they become a way of life for workers, minister urges contractors
CONSTRUCTION sites, the most accident-prone among workplaces in Singapore, have been urged to take a leaf from the military's playbook.
Soldiers become familiar with how to handle weapons safely only after repeated drills and putting safety lessons into practice, Minister of State for Manpower Lee Yi Shyan said yesterday.
He suggested that contractors in Singapore run their construction sites like military camps to ensure that safety measures and safe behaviours are practised so often that they become a way of life for their workers.
When a safety mindset is 'internalised' by every worker, an accident-free workplace will be the result, said Mr Lee, who is also the Minister of State for Trade and Industry.
He was speaking to about 300 contractors and safety supervisors at the opening of the Construction Safety, Health and Security campaign.
His call is the latest in a line of moves announced to build a safety culture at worksites. It also comes amid sobering statistics that show Singapore still has a long way to go to slash the number of workplace deaths.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has set 1.8 deaths for every 100,000 workers as a target to reach by 2018. With just under a decade to go, the rate was at 2.8 last year.
The raw numbers: 25 people died on construction sites last year, making up two in five of the year's 67 workplace deaths.
Halfway into this year, the construction industry has already had 10 deaths - nearly half last year's number - which suggests that the situation may not improve this year.
'We can have a lot of safety procedures, a lot of processes in place, but really, it is no point if it cannot be executed on the ground,' said Mr Lee.
All hands must be on deck, he added, listing the Government, developers, contractors and workers as those with a part to play.
The Government will, for its part, strike a balance between punitive measures - enforcement and fines - and rewarding recognised safe practices.
The Workplace Safety and Health Council is now carrying out the national safety blueprint announced in April.
Moves made include handing out awards for projects with designs that are safe to build, maintain and demolish, and getting small- and medium-sized subcontractors to implement their safety plans within three years. Only one in 10 has done so thus far.
The Government will also train up to 19,000 workplace safety and health professionals by 2018. Since training began 14 months ago, more than 700 have signed up.
Among the 11 workplace safety and health coordinators who graduated yesterday was Mr Tan Tu Yii from Hong Giap Construction and Development.
The general manager, who oversees two worksites here, said he would make the weekly safety briefing a daily affair, conduct more training sessions and step up on-site safety checks.
But while it is important to have this top-down approach, safety consciousness from the ground up is equally important, said safety management consultant Victor Tai.
He said: 'The onus is on the individual. Each worker will be his or her own safety officer or supervisor.'
FROM THE GROUND UP
'The onus is on the individual. Each worker will be his or her own safety officer or supervisor.'
Safety management consultant Victor Tai
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
'Run worksites like army camp'
Jermyn Chow
580 words
12 June 2009
Straits Times
Repeat safety drills so they become a way of life for workers, minister urges contractors
CONSTRUCTION sites, the most accident-prone among workplaces in Singapore, have been urged to take a leaf from the military's playbook.
Soldiers become familiar with how to handle weapons safely only after repeated drills and putting safety lessons into practice, Minister of State for Manpower Lee Yi Shyan said yesterday.
He suggested that contractors in Singapore run their construction sites like military camps to ensure that safety measures and safe behaviours are practised so often that they become a way of life for their workers.
When a safety mindset is 'internalised' by every worker, an accident-free workplace will be the result, said Mr Lee, who is also the Minister of State for Trade and Industry.
He was speaking to about 300 contractors and safety supervisors at the opening of the Construction Safety, Health and Security campaign.
His call is the latest in a line of moves announced to build a safety culture at worksites. It also comes amid sobering statistics that show Singapore still has a long way to go to slash the number of workplace deaths.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has set 1.8 deaths for every 100,000 workers as a target to reach by 2018. With just under a decade to go, the rate was at 2.8 last year.
The raw numbers: 25 people died on construction sites last year, making up two in five of the year's 67 workplace deaths.
Halfway into this year, the construction industry has already had 10 deaths - nearly half last year's number - which suggests that the situation may not improve this year.
'We can have a lot of safety procedures, a lot of processes in place, but really, it is no point if it cannot be executed on the ground,' said Mr Lee.
All hands must be on deck, he added, listing the Government, developers, contractors and workers as those with a part to play.
The Government will, for its part, strike a balance between punitive measures - enforcement and fines - and rewarding recognised safe practices.
The Workplace Safety and Health Council is now carrying out the national safety blueprint announced in April.
Moves made include handing out awards for projects with designs that are safe to build, maintain and demolish, and getting small- and medium-sized subcontractors to implement their safety plans within three years. Only one in 10 has done so thus far.
The Government will also train up to 19,000 workplace safety and health professionals by 2018. Since training began 14 months ago, more than 700 have signed up.
Among the 11 workplace safety and health coordinators who graduated yesterday was Mr Tan Tu Yii from Hong Giap Construction and Development.
The general manager, who oversees two worksites here, said he would make the weekly safety briefing a daily affair, conduct more training sessions and step up on-site safety checks.
But while it is important to have this top-down approach, safety consciousness from the ground up is equally important, said safety management consultant Victor Tai.
He said: 'The onus is on the individual. Each worker will be his or her own safety officer or supervisor.'
FROM THE GROUND UP
'The onus is on the individual. Each worker will be his or her own safety officer or supervisor.'
Safety management consultant Victor Tai
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
NEA steps up malaria fight
The following article was published in The Straits Times on 10 June 2009.
NEA steps up malaria fight
By MARIA ALMENOAR, JALELAH ABU BAKER
The Straits Times
10/06/2009
Biological, chemical methods to wipe out mosquitoes
THE search-and-destroy mission against mosquitoes in malaria-hit Sungei Kadut and Jurong Island is in full swing.
To stop the illness from spreading beyond the 15 cases so far, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has deployed 50 officers to look for and destroy breeding sites in the forested areas of Sungei Kadut in the north and Jurong Island in the south-west.
The breeding spots in Sungei Kadut are sprayed with bacteria in the morning to kill mosquito larvae.
To target adult mosquitoes, chemical fogging is done there at night. This stepped-up enforcement is likely to continue for three weeks or until no more cases are reported.
So far, NEA has identified three types of Anopheles mosquitoes in these areas.
The mystery, however, lies in the fact that two of the three types are not associated with spreading malaria, while the remaining type has been linked to the spread of malaria in China and Korea, but not here.
The Health Ministry said it is still investigating how the disease has surfaced here – especially since the 15 people infected in the past five weeks had not travelled recently, so they could not have brought the disease in from abroad.
The latest case was reported on Monday.
Of the 15 patients, 14 were foreign workers, and one, a full- time national serviceman. All have since been discharged from hospital.
The more than 20 foreign worker dormitories in the Sungei Kadut/Mandai area have been directed by NEA to carry out residual spraying on both the inside and the outside surfaces of the buildings. Dormitory operators have also given mosquito netting and insect repellent for distribution to foreign workers.
Malaria is distinguished from the other two mosquito-borne diseases chikungunya and dengue in that it is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito; the other two diseases are caused by the Aedes mosquito.
The Anopheles mosquito is active at night and found in forest areas or brackish water, while the Aedes mosquito tends to be active in the day and is found near where humans live.
Additional reporting by Jalelah Abu Baker
NEA steps up malaria fight
By MARIA ALMENOAR, JALELAH ABU BAKER
The Straits Times
10/06/2009
Biological, chemical methods to wipe out mosquitoes
THE search-and-destroy mission against mosquitoes in malaria-hit Sungei Kadut and Jurong Island is in full swing.
To stop the illness from spreading beyond the 15 cases so far, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has deployed 50 officers to look for and destroy breeding sites in the forested areas of Sungei Kadut in the north and Jurong Island in the south-west.
The breeding spots in Sungei Kadut are sprayed with bacteria in the morning to kill mosquito larvae.
To target adult mosquitoes, chemical fogging is done there at night. This stepped-up enforcement is likely to continue for three weeks or until no more cases are reported.
So far, NEA has identified three types of Anopheles mosquitoes in these areas.
The mystery, however, lies in the fact that two of the three types are not associated with spreading malaria, while the remaining type has been linked to the spread of malaria in China and Korea, but not here.
The Health Ministry said it is still investigating how the disease has surfaced here – especially since the 15 people infected in the past five weeks had not travelled recently, so they could not have brought the disease in from abroad.
The latest case was reported on Monday.
Of the 15 patients, 14 were foreign workers, and one, a full- time national serviceman. All have since been discharged from hospital.
The more than 20 foreign worker dormitories in the Sungei Kadut/Mandai area have been directed by NEA to carry out residual spraying on both the inside and the outside surfaces of the buildings. Dormitory operators have also given mosquito netting and insect repellent for distribution to foreign workers.
Malaria is distinguished from the other two mosquito-borne diseases chikungunya and dengue in that it is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito; the other two diseases are caused by the Aedes mosquito.
The Anopheles mosquito is active at night and found in forest areas or brackish water, while the Aedes mosquito tends to be active in the day and is found near where humans live.
Additional reporting by Jalelah Abu Baker
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Pay promptly or lose bond, employers told
The following article was published in The New Paper on 26 August 2009.
Pay promptly or lose bond, employers told
The New Paper
26/09/2009
PROTECTION FOR WORKERS, MAIDS
FOREIGN workers and maids will get more medical cover and greater protection from errant employers from 1 Jan.
The new measures will apply to all foreign workers and maids entering Singapore, as well as those who are already here.
Their minimum medical insurance coverage will be raised from $5,000 to $15,000 a year.
The Manpower Ministry will also clamp down on employers who fail to pay their workers' salaries promptly.
They will lose the security bond of $5,000 in addition to being fined or jailed.
However, employers will also stand to gain from the changes.
If any of their workers goes missing, they will lose only half of the security bond.
They now lose the full amount of $5,000 if their workers abscond and cannot be found within three months.
The new measures will better protect foreign workers and maids who may find it hard to pay medical fees after subsidies in public hospitals were withdrawn for them in January last year.
These subsidies were also partially cut for permanent residents.
Employment pass holders are not affected as they are mostly professionals and executives, for whom their companies already provide medical insurance.
There are about 944,000 foreigners who work here on work permits or S-Passes. Of these, close to 200,000 are maids.
Announcing the changes yesterday, the ministry said they are aimed at "shaping responsible behaviour" among employers and ensuring that they "take good care of the foreign workers they bring in."
The proposed changes were welcomed by the Singapore National Employers Federation.
Pay promptly or lose bond, employers told
The New Paper
26/09/2009
PROTECTION FOR WORKERS, MAIDS
FOREIGN workers and maids will get more medical cover and greater protection from errant employers from 1 Jan.
The new measures will apply to all foreign workers and maids entering Singapore, as well as those who are already here.
Their minimum medical insurance coverage will be raised from $5,000 to $15,000 a year.
The Manpower Ministry will also clamp down on employers who fail to pay their workers' salaries promptly.
They will lose the security bond of $5,000 in addition to being fined or jailed.
However, employers will also stand to gain from the changes.
If any of their workers goes missing, they will lose only half of the security bond.
They now lose the full amount of $5,000 if their workers abscond and cannot be found within three months.
The new measures will better protect foreign workers and maids who may find it hard to pay medical fees after subsidies in public hospitals were withdrawn for them in January last year.
These subsidies were also partially cut for permanent residents.
Employment pass holders are not affected as they are mostly professionals and executives, for whom their companies already provide medical insurance.
There are about 944,000 foreigners who work here on work permits or S-Passes. Of these, close to 200,000 are maids.
Announcing the changes yesterday, the ministry said they are aimed at "shaping responsible behaviour" among employers and ensuring that they "take good care of the foreign workers they bring in."
The proposed changes were welcomed by the Singapore National Employers Federation.
Another black mark against Xuyi
The following article was published by TODAY on 9 June 2009.
Another black mark against Xuyi
9 Jun 2009
TODAY
THE company had been rapped on the knuckles previously by the Ministry of Manpower for using strong-arm tactics with its foreign workers.
Now, Xuyi Building Engineering Company has been accused by another set of workers of not paying salaries on time and imposing penalty payments.
Between March and last month, 25 of its workers approached the MOM for assistance with their salary arrears. They also objected to Xuyi’s penalty imposition for early termination of their contracts.
But Xuyi, which has workers deployed at the Marina Bay Sands site, has claimed that the workers wanted to terminate their contracts early to join another company for higher pay. Now, 23 of the workers have “settled their issues with the employer”, said a spokesperson for the MOM, which helped to mediate the case. But two workers declined to accept the settlement and will file claims in the Labour Court.
The latest incident comes after 42 of Xuyi’s workers, also from China, had approached the MOM in October and November over the same set of issues.
Then, the ministry had warned Xuyi for breaching the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. The company had not only failed to pay its workers on time, it unilaterally cancelled the work permits of six claimants - which the MOM described as “irresponsible conduct”.
This time, a BBC News report showed how Xuyi moved workers out of their dormitory - except for the group of claimants - a day after they were interviewed.
The ministry set up a taskforce earlier this year to detect such errant employers and identified more than 60 salary defaulters. Of these cases, 70 per cent have been successfully resolved, resulting in the prosecution of three employers.
Another black mark against Xuyi
9 Jun 2009
TODAY
THE company had been rapped on the knuckles previously by the Ministry of Manpower for using strong-arm tactics with its foreign workers.
Now, Xuyi Building Engineering Company has been accused by another set of workers of not paying salaries on time and imposing penalty payments.
Between March and last month, 25 of its workers approached the MOM for assistance with their salary arrears. They also objected to Xuyi’s penalty imposition for early termination of their contracts.
But Xuyi, which has workers deployed at the Marina Bay Sands site, has claimed that the workers wanted to terminate their contracts early to join another company for higher pay. Now, 23 of the workers have “settled their issues with the employer”, said a spokesperson for the MOM, which helped to mediate the case. But two workers declined to accept the settlement and will file claims in the Labour Court.
The latest incident comes after 42 of Xuyi’s workers, also from China, had approached the MOM in October and November over the same set of issues.
Then, the ministry had warned Xuyi for breaching the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. The company had not only failed to pay its workers on time, it unilaterally cancelled the work permits of six claimants - which the MOM described as “irresponsible conduct”.
This time, a BBC News report showed how Xuyi moved workers out of their dormitory - except for the group of claimants - a day after they were interviewed.
The ministry set up a taskforce earlier this year to detect such errant employers and identified more than 60 salary defaulters. Of these cases, 70 per cent have been successfully resolved, resulting in the prosecution of three employers.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Two GPs rapped for wrongdoing
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 6 June 2009.
Two GPs rapped for wrongdoing
By Judith Tan
Straits Times, 6 June 2009
FOREIGN maids have to be screened once every six months to ascertain that they are not pregnant or suffering from infectious diseases.
But one particular foreign maid didn't have to. Her employer, a doctor, signed the forms to say that she herself had done the screening - when she had not.
For the act of professional misconduct, Dr Michele Anne Lee Geok Hwa, a general practice locum, was censured by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).
She had told the Controller of Work Permits that she had carried out the tests on her maid in December 2006. The Manpower Ministry complained to the SMC.
The medical check-up helps ensure that the maid does not carry infectious diseases such as the Aids virus (HIV) or tuberculosis (TB), which might harm them or the people they come into contact with.
This is especially important as maids work in homes and are in constant contact with children. A pregnancy test is also needed to screen against maids giving birth in Singapore, as this is against the work permit regulations.
This is the first time a doctor has been before the SMC's disciplinary committee for flouting her professional responsibilities in this way.
Previously, doctors have been censured for failing to detect that a foreign maid was pregnant when they neglected to carry out proper screening.
While Dr Lee was sorry for what she did, the committee described her act 'as a serious error which could not be condoned by the medical profession in view of the important role which medical practitioners play in screening foreign domestic workers'.
She was fined $3,000.
The SMC said in a statement yesterday that it had also disciplined a second doctor, for dispensing sleeping pills and other drugs too freely.
Dr Yip Chee Wei, 44, a general practitioner at Yip Family Clinic in Yishun, pleaded guilty to 15 charges of dispensing benzodiazepines, hypnotic drugs used to treat sleep and anxiety disorders and cough mixtures containing codeine.
Codeine, a drug in painkillers and cough and anti-diarrhoeal medicines, is used by drug addicts as a substitute for illegal dope.
Dr Yip's conviction brings to 30 the number of doctors who have prescribed drugs excessively.
A total of 14 doctors were disciplined from 2007 for breaching the guidelines for prescribing benzodiazepines implemented in 2002.
According to the guidelines, doctors are to prescribe the drug for short-term use and should routinely warn patients of the side-effects. The drug is contained in a range of sleeping pills, such as Valium and Diazepam.
Should there be continuous or repeat prescriptions, doctors should review the patients and have proper documentation for them.
A first-time offender, Dr Yip was suspended from practice for six months, censured and fined $5,000.
Both doctors had to give the SMC written pledges that they would not repeat the offence, on top of having to pay the expenses of the disciplinary hearings.
Two GPs rapped for wrongdoing
By Judith Tan
Straits Times, 6 June 2009
FOREIGN maids have to be screened once every six months to ascertain that they are not pregnant or suffering from infectious diseases.
But one particular foreign maid didn't have to. Her employer, a doctor, signed the forms to say that she herself had done the screening - when she had not.
For the act of professional misconduct, Dr Michele Anne Lee Geok Hwa, a general practice locum, was censured by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).
She had told the Controller of Work Permits that she had carried out the tests on her maid in December 2006. The Manpower Ministry complained to the SMC.
The medical check-up helps ensure that the maid does not carry infectious diseases such as the Aids virus (HIV) or tuberculosis (TB), which might harm them or the people they come into contact with.
This is especially important as maids work in homes and are in constant contact with children. A pregnancy test is also needed to screen against maids giving birth in Singapore, as this is against the work permit regulations.
This is the first time a doctor has been before the SMC's disciplinary committee for flouting her professional responsibilities in this way.
Previously, doctors have been censured for failing to detect that a foreign maid was pregnant when they neglected to carry out proper screening.
While Dr Lee was sorry for what she did, the committee described her act 'as a serious error which could not be condoned by the medical profession in view of the important role which medical practitioners play in screening foreign domestic workers'.
She was fined $3,000.
The SMC said in a statement yesterday that it had also disciplined a second doctor, for dispensing sleeping pills and other drugs too freely.
Dr Yip Chee Wei, 44, a general practitioner at Yip Family Clinic in Yishun, pleaded guilty to 15 charges of dispensing benzodiazepines, hypnotic drugs used to treat sleep and anxiety disorders and cough mixtures containing codeine.
Codeine, a drug in painkillers and cough and anti-diarrhoeal medicines, is used by drug addicts as a substitute for illegal dope.
Dr Yip's conviction brings to 30 the number of doctors who have prescribed drugs excessively.
A total of 14 doctors were disciplined from 2007 for breaching the guidelines for prescribing benzodiazepines implemented in 2002.
According to the guidelines, doctors are to prescribe the drug for short-term use and should routinely warn patients of the side-effects. The drug is contained in a range of sleeping pills, such as Valium and Diazepam.
Should there be continuous or repeat prescriptions, doctors should review the patients and have proper documentation for them.
A first-time offender, Dr Yip was suspended from practice for six months, censured and fined $5,000.
Both doctors had to give the SMC written pledges that they would not repeat the offence, on top of having to pay the expenses of the disciplinary hearings.
Justice for workers, not quick fixes
The following article was published by Yawning Bread on 6 June 2009. To read the full article, log on to the Yawning Bread website.
Justice for workers, not quick fixes
The company at the centre of the storm described in my articles Muddy Singapore swallows China workers parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, was Xuyi Construction. Those December and January articles told of Chinese workers who had not been paid for months and who were detained by the employers' agents, police and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in preparation for deportation.
The Ministry of Manpower did very little to the help the workers even though the employer appeared to be breaking the law.
On 29 May 2009, BBC broadcast a new report. Amazingly, the company at the centre of the story was none other than Xuyi again. Yet another batch of workers are complaining of unpaid wages and ill-treatment.
The workers whom I had highlighted in my December story were not the first batch from Xuyi to have had problems with their employer. By their reckoning, they were the third batch.
Nor was Xuyi the only negligent employer accused of holding back on salaries and making arbitrary deductions, clear offences under Singapore's Employment Act. In the same period, numerous other groups of workers, some Chinese, some Indian and Bangladeshi, descended on the Ministry of Manpower with similar complaints.
Finally, in the middle of January, the Ministry of Manpower said that errant employers would be prosecuted.
But was it just an empty statement to defuse the mounting protests?
Well, not quite. A few news reports subsequently emerged about prosecutions, the most recent of which was this one:
5 June 2009
Straits Times
Boss charged over workers' unpaid wages
Case is result of MOM probes which have identified over 60 firms with pay arrears
An employer was taken to court yesterday for failing to pay the salaries of 100 foreign workers, which amounted to $77,000.
Julian Yip Si Wei, 26, is said to have failed to pay salaries of the workers hired by his two companies - M Power Engineering and Iron Works, and Zippon Marine and Engineering - earlier this year.
He allegedly failed to cancel the permits of the workers and repatriate them, even though he did not have work for them.
Instead, he kept them in Singapore without paying their salaries, which came to about $77,000.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement yesterday that the cases against the two companies were the result of probes by a ministry task force set up earlier this year to detect errant employers, including those with salary arrears.
[truncated]
You would have noticed that this Straits Times story adopted an angle showing the government as pro-active, taking the form of "We set up a task force to unearth a problem and we are solving it". It quoted a government press release in its last paragraph.
The truth of course is that the government is being just minimally reactive. It took mass turnouts in front of the ministry building to compel some attention to workers' grievances. Occasionally, a story slips through to the mainstream press, for example, the one below. However, you have to read past the first half which, unsurprisingly, lauds the government's care and concern, before you see, in the second half, that the workers had to take action themselves before our civil servants would give a damn.
In fact, reading between the lines of the sidebar, it may be that the ministry provoked the crisis themselves by revoking work permits without ensuring that workers were first paid.
See also Migrant worker problems must be tackled at roots
7 May 2009
Straits Times
Stranded workers settle claims
About 420 to return to China, while 66 opt to stay and find other jobs
By Goh Yi Han
MORE than 400 Chinese foreign workers left stranded by their errant employers have accepted a settlement offered by their employers' representatives.
Over the past two days, former employees of Hokh Contract Services and Raffles Contractors with salary claims and fee payment issues have been turning up at the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) offices in Kim Seng Road, where they are informed of the terms of the settlement.
MOM said that 83 per cent, or about 420 workers, agreed to accept the settlement and be repatriated to China, while 66 others chose to stay in Singapore to find another job.
The Straits Times understands that most individuals have accepted a lump sum of more than $1,000, as well as an air ticket back home to China within the next week.
Workers who opt to stay to find new jobs will be interviewed by companies liaising with MOM, and be paid a smaller sum in compensation. Those not eventually hired will still be paid the smaller sum.
The workers, whose work permits were abruptly cancelled last month, have been trying to claim unpaid salaries and fees owed to them by their employers. These are understood to amount to at least $5,700 each.
Last Monday, a large group of them gathered outside the MOM building in Havelock Road seeking help and some answers from the ministry on the issue, and dispersed only after the police were called in. Their case is, in fact, just one of several that have surfaced since January this year.
As the economic downturn persists, many foreign workers have been seeking help from MOM and the authorities with regard to issues such as non-payment of salaries and fees, or problems with accommodation.
An MOM task force, set up this year to detect employer malpractice and cash-flow problems, has so far found at least 48 errant companies.
In order to better protect foreign workers' welfare, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation jointly launched a Migrant Workers Centre last month to help workers with employment-related issues, as well as promote good employment practices.
As far as the workers involved in this latest incident are concerned, the settlement closes a chapter on weeks of angst over their jobs and salary.
However, many still harboured mixed feelings about the solution offered to them.
'I'm not totally satisfied with the arrangement, but I don't have a choice. I don't have money to continue staying in Singapore much longer to find another job anyway,' said 43-year-old Mr Zhu Shulin from Zhejiang province in China, who came to Singapore about five months ago.
He was hoping to get back the one month's pay his former employer Raffles Contractors owed him, as well as his agent fees. The payout, though, would not fully cover these, he said.
Another worker from China, who wished to be known only as Mr Jiang, said he was disappointed that more could not be done.
'I paid almost $10,000 to come here, but I can get only a small portion of it back now. If I tried to stay to find work, I might end up getting even less than that,' he said. 'I think I'll just go home.'
MOM said that it was currently investigating Hokh Contract Services and Raffles Contractors for failing to pay their workers.
If found guilty of not paying their employees' salaries, the people behind the companies could be fined up to $5,000 and jailed for up to six months for each foreign worker. Both firms have also been barred from hiring new foreign workers.
The ministry urged foreign workers to report salary arrears promptly, to allow for early intervention and quicker resolution of their problems.
[end of Straits Times article]
But what about Xuyi? Why, despite repeated complaints by batch after batch of Xuyi workers, is Xuyi not prosecuted? Might it have something to do with the fact that they are building the Marina Sands casino -- a prestige project?
I know Singaporeans have conflicted feelings about foreign workers here. Some feel there are just too many and that they are taking away jobs from Singaporeans.
This debate is quite a separate one from that of treating people fairly. The question of how many foreign workers we should have is a question of policy. We can increase or decrease the number of work permits we issue.
The question before us is a question of justice. When we have agreed to let someone come here to work, shouldn't we extend to them all their rights to humane working conditions and fair and timely payment of wages?
When the Ministry of Manpower acquires a culture of always looking away when workers complain against their employers, what makes us think they will not look away in other cases where Singaporean workers are involved too?
SIDEBAR: Justice or quick fix?
I find this boast of "settlement" hollow. The lump sum solution is unsatisfactory, because it appears to be a compromise. Instead of paying workers what is owed to them based on a careful computation of hours worked, including overtime, it seems to be a rough and ready figure that in effect, it represents the partial success of the bullying position of employers. It is a solution that is not based on justice, but based on strength and influence.
A government whose duty is to uphold justice – and our ministers having pledged allegiance to our constitution is duty bound to do that – cannot be facilitating such unprincipled solutions.
It is a dereliction of duty. In any democracy it is a possible cause for impeachment.
It should insist on properly calculated salaries, per contract terms and the law, paid promptly.
Straits Times' Sidebar
Help sought
# Late March: MOM begins investigating Hokh Contract Services, Raffles Contractors and Neo-Built for errant practices.
# April 13: MOM revokes work permits of all three companies' foreign workers.
# April 23: Over 800 Chinese workers gather at agent's office to claim fees and unpaid salaries.
# April 27: About 200 workers gather outside MOM seeking answers and help.
# May 5-6: More than 400 workers with claims issues are offered settlements at the MOM office.
© Yawning Bread
Justice for workers, not quick fixes
The company at the centre of the storm described in my articles Muddy Singapore swallows China workers parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, was Xuyi Construction. Those December and January articles told of Chinese workers who had not been paid for months and who were detained by the employers' agents, police and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in preparation for deportation.
The Ministry of Manpower did very little to the help the workers even though the employer appeared to be breaking the law.
On 29 May 2009, BBC broadcast a new report. Amazingly, the company at the centre of the story was none other than Xuyi again. Yet another batch of workers are complaining of unpaid wages and ill-treatment.
The workers whom I had highlighted in my December story were not the first batch from Xuyi to have had problems with their employer. By their reckoning, they were the third batch.
Nor was Xuyi the only negligent employer accused of holding back on salaries and making arbitrary deductions, clear offences under Singapore's Employment Act. In the same period, numerous other groups of workers, some Chinese, some Indian and Bangladeshi, descended on the Ministry of Manpower with similar complaints.
Finally, in the middle of January, the Ministry of Manpower said that errant employers would be prosecuted.
But was it just an empty statement to defuse the mounting protests?
Well, not quite. A few news reports subsequently emerged about prosecutions, the most recent of which was this one:
5 June 2009
Straits Times
Boss charged over workers' unpaid wages
Case is result of MOM probes which have identified over 60 firms with pay arrears
An employer was taken to court yesterday for failing to pay the salaries of 100 foreign workers, which amounted to $77,000.
Julian Yip Si Wei, 26, is said to have failed to pay salaries of the workers hired by his two companies - M Power Engineering and Iron Works, and Zippon Marine and Engineering - earlier this year.
He allegedly failed to cancel the permits of the workers and repatriate them, even though he did not have work for them.
Instead, he kept them in Singapore without paying their salaries, which came to about $77,000.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement yesterday that the cases against the two companies were the result of probes by a ministry task force set up earlier this year to detect errant employers, including those with salary arrears.
[truncated]
You would have noticed that this Straits Times story adopted an angle showing the government as pro-active, taking the form of "We set up a task force to unearth a problem and we are solving it". It quoted a government press release in its last paragraph.
The truth of course is that the government is being just minimally reactive. It took mass turnouts in front of the ministry building to compel some attention to workers' grievances. Occasionally, a story slips through to the mainstream press, for example, the one below. However, you have to read past the first half which, unsurprisingly, lauds the government's care and concern, before you see, in the second half, that the workers had to take action themselves before our civil servants would give a damn.
In fact, reading between the lines of the sidebar, it may be that the ministry provoked the crisis themselves by revoking work permits without ensuring that workers were first paid.
See also Migrant worker problems must be tackled at roots
7 May 2009
Straits Times
Stranded workers settle claims
About 420 to return to China, while 66 opt to stay and find other jobs
By Goh Yi Han
MORE than 400 Chinese foreign workers left stranded by their errant employers have accepted a settlement offered by their employers' representatives.
Over the past two days, former employees of Hokh Contract Services and Raffles Contractors with salary claims and fee payment issues have been turning up at the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) offices in Kim Seng Road, where they are informed of the terms of the settlement.
MOM said that 83 per cent, or about 420 workers, agreed to accept the settlement and be repatriated to China, while 66 others chose to stay in Singapore to find another job.
The Straits Times understands that most individuals have accepted a lump sum of more than $1,000, as well as an air ticket back home to China within the next week.
Workers who opt to stay to find new jobs will be interviewed by companies liaising with MOM, and be paid a smaller sum in compensation. Those not eventually hired will still be paid the smaller sum.
The workers, whose work permits were abruptly cancelled last month, have been trying to claim unpaid salaries and fees owed to them by their employers. These are understood to amount to at least $5,700 each.
Last Monday, a large group of them gathered outside the MOM building in Havelock Road seeking help and some answers from the ministry on the issue, and dispersed only after the police were called in. Their case is, in fact, just one of several that have surfaced since January this year.
As the economic downturn persists, many foreign workers have been seeking help from MOM and the authorities with regard to issues such as non-payment of salaries and fees, or problems with accommodation.
An MOM task force, set up this year to detect employer malpractice and cash-flow problems, has so far found at least 48 errant companies.
In order to better protect foreign workers' welfare, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation jointly launched a Migrant Workers Centre last month to help workers with employment-related issues, as well as promote good employment practices.
As far as the workers involved in this latest incident are concerned, the settlement closes a chapter on weeks of angst over their jobs and salary.
However, many still harboured mixed feelings about the solution offered to them.
'I'm not totally satisfied with the arrangement, but I don't have a choice. I don't have money to continue staying in Singapore much longer to find another job anyway,' said 43-year-old Mr Zhu Shulin from Zhejiang province in China, who came to Singapore about five months ago.
He was hoping to get back the one month's pay his former employer Raffles Contractors owed him, as well as his agent fees. The payout, though, would not fully cover these, he said.
Another worker from China, who wished to be known only as Mr Jiang, said he was disappointed that more could not be done.
'I paid almost $10,000 to come here, but I can get only a small portion of it back now. If I tried to stay to find work, I might end up getting even less than that,' he said. 'I think I'll just go home.'
MOM said that it was currently investigating Hokh Contract Services and Raffles Contractors for failing to pay their workers.
If found guilty of not paying their employees' salaries, the people behind the companies could be fined up to $5,000 and jailed for up to six months for each foreign worker. Both firms have also been barred from hiring new foreign workers.
The ministry urged foreign workers to report salary arrears promptly, to allow for early intervention and quicker resolution of their problems.
[end of Straits Times article]
But what about Xuyi? Why, despite repeated complaints by batch after batch of Xuyi workers, is Xuyi not prosecuted? Might it have something to do with the fact that they are building the Marina Sands casino -- a prestige project?
I know Singaporeans have conflicted feelings about foreign workers here. Some feel there are just too many and that they are taking away jobs from Singaporeans.
This debate is quite a separate one from that of treating people fairly. The question of how many foreign workers we should have is a question of policy. We can increase or decrease the number of work permits we issue.
The question before us is a question of justice. When we have agreed to let someone come here to work, shouldn't we extend to them all their rights to humane working conditions and fair and timely payment of wages?
When the Ministry of Manpower acquires a culture of always looking away when workers complain against their employers, what makes us think they will not look away in other cases where Singaporean workers are involved too?
SIDEBAR: Justice or quick fix?
I find this boast of "settlement" hollow. The lump sum solution is unsatisfactory, because it appears to be a compromise. Instead of paying workers what is owed to them based on a careful computation of hours worked, including overtime, it seems to be a rough and ready figure that in effect, it represents the partial success of the bullying position of employers. It is a solution that is not based on justice, but based on strength and influence.
A government whose duty is to uphold justice – and our ministers having pledged allegiance to our constitution is duty bound to do that – cannot be facilitating such unprincipled solutions.
It is a dereliction of duty. In any democracy it is a possible cause for impeachment.
It should insist on properly calculated salaries, per contract terms and the law, paid promptly.
Straits Times' Sidebar
Help sought
# Late March: MOM begins investigating Hokh Contract Services, Raffles Contractors and Neo-Built for errant practices.
# April 13: MOM revokes work permits of all three companies' foreign workers.
# April 23: Over 800 Chinese workers gather at agent's office to claim fees and unpaid salaries.
# April 27: About 200 workers gather outside MOM seeking answers and help.
# May 5-6: More than 400 workers with claims issues are offered settlements at the MOM office.
© Yawning Bread
Friday, June 5, 2009
Boss charged over workers' unpaid wages
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 5 June 2009.
Boss charged over workers' unpaid wages
By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent
5 June 2009
Straits Times
Case is result of MOM probes which have identified over 60 firms with
pay arrears
AN EMPLOYER was taken to court yesterday for failing to pay the salaries of 100 foreign workers, which amounted to $77,000.
Julian Yip Si Wei, 26, is said to have failed to pay salaries of the workers hired by his two companies - M Power Engineering and Iron Works, and Zippon Marine and Engineering - earlier this year.
He allegedly failed to cancel the permits of the workers and repatriate them, even though he did not have work for them.
Instead, he kept them in Singapore without paying their salaries, which came to about $77,000.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement yesterday that the cases against the two companies were the result of probes by a ministry task force set up earlier this year to detect errant employers, including those with salary arrears.
The task force consolidates and analyses information surfaced from inspections, as well as intelligence received on possible pay arrears cases.
Mr Aw Kum Cheong, divisional director of the MOM's Foreign Manpower Management Division, said more than 60 companies with salary arrears have been identified.
Of these, more than 70 per cent have been successfully resolved.
Two other employers were charged in March with similar offences.
'The ministry will continue to step up its enforcement operations to take employers who fail to discharge their obligations to task. Errant employers will face the full consequences of the law,' said Mr Aw.
Employers who no longer have any work for their workers are advised to continue paying their salaries or cancel their permits and send them home after all outstanding payments have been made.
Those who breach the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both. They will also be blacklisted from hiring foreign workers in the future.
Yip, who is out on $50,000 bail, will appear in court again on July 2.
Boss charged over workers' unpaid wages
By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent
5 June 2009
Straits Times
Case is result of MOM probes which have identified over 60 firms with
pay arrears
AN EMPLOYER was taken to court yesterday for failing to pay the salaries of 100 foreign workers, which amounted to $77,000.
Julian Yip Si Wei, 26, is said to have failed to pay salaries of the workers hired by his two companies - M Power Engineering and Iron Works, and Zippon Marine and Engineering - earlier this year.
He allegedly failed to cancel the permits of the workers and repatriate them, even though he did not have work for them.
Instead, he kept them in Singapore without paying their salaries, which came to about $77,000.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement yesterday that the cases against the two companies were the result of probes by a ministry task force set up earlier this year to detect errant employers, including those with salary arrears.
The task force consolidates and analyses information surfaced from inspections, as well as intelligence received on possible pay arrears cases.
Mr Aw Kum Cheong, divisional director of the MOM's Foreign Manpower Management Division, said more than 60 companies with salary arrears have been identified.
Of these, more than 70 per cent have been successfully resolved.
Two other employers were charged in March with similar offences.
'The ministry will continue to step up its enforcement operations to take employers who fail to discharge their obligations to task. Errant employers will face the full consequences of the law,' said Mr Aw.
Employers who no longer have any work for their workers are advised to continue paying their salaries or cancel their permits and send them home after all outstanding payments have been made.
Those who breach the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both. They will also be blacklisted from hiring foreign workers in the future.
Yip, who is out on $50,000 bail, will appear in court again on July 2.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Employer Charged in Court with 100 Counts of Non-payment of Salary
Employer Charged in Court with 100 Counts of Non-payment of Salary
MOM, Press Release, 4 June 2009
URL:http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?listid=52
An employer was charged in the Subordinate Courts today (4 June 2009) for failure to pay the salaries of his foreign workers. Julian Yip Si Wei faces charges of failing to pay salaries of 100 foreign workers hired by his two companies, M Power Engineering & Iron Works and Zippon Marine & Engineering.
2. Yip allegedly failed to cancel the workers' permits and repatriate his workers even though he did not have work for them. Instead, he retained them in Singapore without paying their salaries.
3. The cases against M Power Engineering & Iron Works and Zippon Marine & Engineering were the result of proactive probes by a MOM taskforce set up earlier this year to detect errant employers, including those who have salary arrears. The MOM taskforce consolidates and analyses information surfaced from inspections as well as intelligence received on possible salary arrears cases in order to investigate those employers that may have breached the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).
4. "More than 60 companies with salary arrears have been identified through the taskforce's efforts since it was set up. Of these, more than 70% have been successfully resolved. Two other employers* were also charged in March this year for failure to pay salaries of their workers. The Ministry will continue to step up our enforcement operations to take employers who fail to discharge their obligations to task. Errant employers will face the full consequences of the law," said Aw Kum Cheong, Divisional Director, Foreign Manpower Management Division.
5. Employers who no longer have any work for their workers are advised to continue paying their salaries, or to cancel the work permits and send the workers home after all outstanding payments have been made. Failure to pay salaries on time is an offence under the EFMA. Employers who fail to pay their employees could be fined up to $5,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding 6 months, or both. They will also be blacklisted from hiring foreign workers in future.
*Loke Siew Fai (Director, Tipper Corp Pte Ltd) and Paul Lee Chiang Theng (Director, Gates Offshore Pte Ltd, Goldrich Venture Pte Ltd and S1 Engineering Pte Ltd) were charged on 19 March for failing to pay the salaries of their foreign workers on time.
MOM, Press Release, 4 June 2009
URL:http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?listid=52
An employer was charged in the Subordinate Courts today (4 June 2009) for failure to pay the salaries of his foreign workers. Julian Yip Si Wei faces charges of failing to pay salaries of 100 foreign workers hired by his two companies, M Power Engineering & Iron Works and Zippon Marine & Engineering.
2. Yip allegedly failed to cancel the workers' permits and repatriate his workers even though he did not have work for them. Instead, he retained them in Singapore without paying their salaries.
3. The cases against M Power Engineering & Iron Works and Zippon Marine & Engineering were the result of proactive probes by a MOM taskforce set up earlier this year to detect errant employers, including those who have salary arrears. The MOM taskforce consolidates and analyses information surfaced from inspections as well as intelligence received on possible salary arrears cases in order to investigate those employers that may have breached the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).
4. "More than 60 companies with salary arrears have been identified through the taskforce's efforts since it was set up. Of these, more than 70% have been successfully resolved. Two other employers* were also charged in March this year for failure to pay salaries of their workers. The Ministry will continue to step up our enforcement operations to take employers who fail to discharge their obligations to task. Errant employers will face the full consequences of the law," said Aw Kum Cheong, Divisional Director, Foreign Manpower Management Division.
5. Employers who no longer have any work for their workers are advised to continue paying their salaries, or to cancel the work permits and send the workers home after all outstanding payments have been made. Failure to pay salaries on time is an offence under the EFMA. Employers who fail to pay their employees could be fined up to $5,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding 6 months, or both. They will also be blacklisted from hiring foreign workers in future.
*Loke Siew Fai (Director, Tipper Corp Pte Ltd) and Paul Lee Chiang Theng (Director, Gates Offshore Pte Ltd, Goldrich Venture Pte Ltd and S1 Engineering Pte Ltd) were charged on 19 March for failing to pay the salaries of their foreign workers on time.
Casino Builders Strike Over Pay
The following report was posted by the BBC on 28 May 2009.
BBC, Juliana Liu reports.
The world's most expensive casino, the Marina Bay Sands, is set to open later this year in Singapore.
Ten thousand people, including many foreign Chinese workers, have been working around the clock to complete the project.
But now some of them are on strike over a dispute about pay and working conditions.
BBC, Juliana Liu reports.
The world's most expensive casino, the Marina Bay Sands, is set to open later this year in Singapore.
Ten thousand people, including many foreign Chinese workers, have been working around the clock to complete the project.
But now some of them are on strike over a dispute about pay and working conditions.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Illegal dorms crowd out Tiong Bahru's charm
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 2 June 2009.
Illegal dorms crowd out Tiong Bahru's charm
By Jessica Cheam
2 June 2009
Straits Times
SOME landlords in the heritage-rich Tiong Bahru estate are cashing in on the demand for cheap housing by converting conserved pre-war flats into dormitory-style housing for foreign workers.
Residents are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact on their estate and have complained of noise, littering and overcrowding.
A Straits Times check last week uncovered several units ranging from 800 to 1,300 sq ft in size housing as many as 24 tenants in each flat.
Resident Chris Kwek, 33, said he has no qualms about living near foreign workers, mainly from China and India, but the transient nature of their stay means they tend not to take care of the estate.
Rubbish is strewn on the streets, unsightly rows of clothes are hung outside the units and some tenants even dump unwanted bulky items in common areas.
A Chinese worker who wanted to be known only as Mr Wong, 28, said people like him sometimes do not have a choice of accommodation. Many pay a lump-sum fee to an agent in China, who arranges for a flat, and they have to live there for six months to a year or lose their money. The monthly rent is about $200 each.
Some simply cannot find cheaper housing in city-fringe locations and have to accept cramped conditions. 'We have to get used to it since we have no choice,' Mr Wong said in Mandarin.
His landlord is a 40-year-old Chinese citizen turned permanent resident, who rents flats and then sub-lets them to workers. And he is just one among many in the estate, said residents.
Using private residential estates for dorm-style housing is illegal, yet many landlords have built sizeable businesses.
Mr Wong's landlord, for example, 'operates' four units, each about the size of a three- or four-room HDB flat and rented for about $2,000 a month. With 24 tenants in one unit paying around $200 each, he makes almost $3,000 in profit from each flat each month.
Realtor Alvin Yeo, 37, who has lived in Tiong Bahru for several years, said the estate had always been attractive for migrant workers as it is central and affordable.
At the same time, the estate's charm and rich history has attracted increasing numbers of young professionals and expatriates, many keen to maintain the area's heritage appeal.
Resident Eugene Yip, 38, said locals who live there 'love this area for its style and history'.
Tiong Bahru was designed in the 1930s in Art Deco style, privatised in the 1960s and gazetted in 2003.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority told The Straits Times: 'Private residential properties are for residential use only and are generally not allowed to be converted to dormitories.'
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Illegal dorms crowd out Tiong Bahru's charm
By Jessica Cheam
2 June 2009
Straits Times
SOME landlords in the heritage-rich Tiong Bahru estate are cashing in on the demand for cheap housing by converting conserved pre-war flats into dormitory-style housing for foreign workers.
Residents are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact on their estate and have complained of noise, littering and overcrowding.
A Straits Times check last week uncovered several units ranging from 800 to 1,300 sq ft in size housing as many as 24 tenants in each flat.
Resident Chris Kwek, 33, said he has no qualms about living near foreign workers, mainly from China and India, but the transient nature of their stay means they tend not to take care of the estate.
Rubbish is strewn on the streets, unsightly rows of clothes are hung outside the units and some tenants even dump unwanted bulky items in common areas.
A Chinese worker who wanted to be known only as Mr Wong, 28, said people like him sometimes do not have a choice of accommodation. Many pay a lump-sum fee to an agent in China, who arranges for a flat, and they have to live there for six months to a year or lose their money. The monthly rent is about $200 each.
Some simply cannot find cheaper housing in city-fringe locations and have to accept cramped conditions. 'We have to get used to it since we have no choice,' Mr Wong said in Mandarin.
His landlord is a 40-year-old Chinese citizen turned permanent resident, who rents flats and then sub-lets them to workers. And he is just one among many in the estate, said residents.
Using private residential estates for dorm-style housing is illegal, yet many landlords have built sizeable businesses.
Mr Wong's landlord, for example, 'operates' four units, each about the size of a three- or four-room HDB flat and rented for about $2,000 a month. With 24 tenants in one unit paying around $200 each, he makes almost $3,000 in profit from each flat each month.
Realtor Alvin Yeo, 37, who has lived in Tiong Bahru for several years, said the estate had always been attractive for migrant workers as it is central and affordable.
At the same time, the estate's charm and rich history has attracted increasing numbers of young professionals and expatriates, many keen to maintain the area's heritage appeal.
Resident Eugene Yip, 38, said locals who live there 'love this area for its style and history'.
Tiong Bahru was designed in the 1930s in Art Deco style, privatised in the 1960s and gazetted in 2003.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority told The Straits Times: 'Private residential properties are for residential use only and are generally not allowed to be converted to dormitories.'
(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
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