Issue of foreigners dominates forum

Straw poll by chair Ng Eng Hen shows they are needed in firms
Straits Times, Published on Aug 31, 2012

By Goh Chin Lian

 

LAW undergraduate Charles Yeo did not mince his words last night when he criticised the Government for marginalising Singaporeans, by letting in foreigners who are willing to work for less pay.

The 22-year-old student of England's University of Warwick said countries like Britain and Australia accept only foreigners with unique skills.

His words of reproach at a Reach forum to discuss the National Day Rally, led Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen to conduct an immediate straw poll.

How many among the 260 people at the forum worked in companies that employ foreigners, Dr Ng asked.

Almost every hand went up and 80 per cent indicated they did not think their company could survive without foreigners.

It became grist to the mill for Dr Ng, who chaired the forum with Reach chairman Amy Khor, to explain the implications of tightening the tap on foreigners, even as he acknowledged the worries of Singaporeans.

"I have good news for you: There will be less foreigners," he said, referring to government measures to tighten the inflow of foreigners.

But at the same time, "I have bad news for those who work in companies with quite a lot of foreigners. It's going to be tough and some of you are feeling it, particularly our SMEs".

He added: "There are no perfect solutions. We have to make sure we have a tightening up but it's not without cost. It will mean slower growth, and slower growth can also mean slower wage growth."

On the other hand, foreigners have stepped in where Singaporeans are loath to work.

Dr Ng noted how Singaporean bus drivers who initially resisted foreign bus drivers, later welcomed them for standing in during the weekends and public holidays.

"So it's a nice combination," he said.

His worry is that international news reports portraying Singaporeans as anti-foreigners may invite a backlash when Singaporeans travel abroad.

Bringing the issue back to Mr Yeo, Dr Ng cited a top university in London where 25 per cent of one law class were Singaporeans to make the point that people in other countries would also have a reason to be upset with Singaporeans taking up university places.

So Singaporeans ought to be dignified and treat others with dignity, he said.

A Singaporean nurse at the forum related how her heart ached for her foreign colleagues when she sees them being taunted and scolded by locals.

She said: "We have a lot of advertisements about local nurses doing good. There are also many foreign nurses - Filipinos, Malaysians and all that - who have done very much for our citizens, caring for them in their deepest, darkest moments."

The issue of foreigners was the dominant topic at the two-hour forum and other issues discussed include helping single mothers and special needs children, and whether more social welfare will mean higher taxes.

On encouraging people to have more babies, ideas seem plentiful on what needed to be done.

But Dr Ng feels that husbands need to step in as well: "I have four kids. My wife works. It's very tough. Thankfully, my wife is capable.

"But we have to change and signal that we are willing to be more supportive and play a bigger role in child-rearing."

Maid stole, lied about beating by employer

Straits Times, Published on Aug 31, 2012

-- PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

AN INDONESIAN maid lied to the police that her employer had assaulted her and forced her to admit to theft.

The truth was that she had stolen from her employer and inflicted injuries on herself to back up her story.

Yesterday, Tri Lestari (above), 31, was jailed five months for stealing at least $1,600 in items from her employer, fraudulent possession and giving false information to the police.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Elizabeth Chua said the domestic worker arrived here in January to work for Ms Roslina Ng Rosli, 37. Before long, Ms Ng realised that things were going missing from her Bukit Panjang home, and questioned Tri, who denied knowing where the items were.

Ms Ng sent the maid back to the agency.

In the following months, Tri stayed with the agent's mother and mother-in-law.

Investigations showed that in February, she had handed a large bag of items to the agent's mother-in-law for safekeeping, claiming it was clothing given to her.

While staying at the agent's mother's home in April, she told the older woman that she had left clothing at the other place. They then went to retrieve the bag.

However, the agent grew suspicious upon checking the contents of the bag.

Shown the two watches, two pairs of shoes, a bag and an assortment of clothing, Ms Ng confirmed that they were hers.

The agent also found other items for which the maid could not provide a satisfactory explanation.

DPP Chua said Ms Ng's neighbour had filed a police report on Feb 29, on finding Tri crying and asking for help.

The maid told the police at the scene that her employers had accused her of stealing and had hit her to force her to admit to the thefts. Numerous injuries found on her were later found to have been self-inflicted.

ELENA CHONG

 

Study private school course quality: Panel

Straits Times, Published on Aug 29, 2012

By Matthias Chew

 

AMID calls for funding for Singaporeans pursuing degrees at private schools, a university review committee has recommended a study into the quality of courses offered at these institutions.

Funding for subsidies and loans could be contingent on the outcome of this study.

The committee, headed by Senior Minister of State for Education Lawrence Wong, said in its report out yesterday: "Without better information, it is difficult to provide more government support in a prudent and accountable manner."

One possible outcome, said the report, was that schools found in the study to be of high quality could enjoy "some government support", in exchange for tighter government oversight.

According to the report, this would ensure accountability in the use of public funds.

The report also suggested that data from the study be published to encourage private schools to raise their quality, and to help students to make more informed choices.

Last year, 47,493 degree students attended private schools, with more believed to be doing diploma courses leading to degrees.

Leading private schools contacted yesterday welcomed the study, saying it would help identify reputable institutions.

SIM Global Education chief Lee Kwok Cheong said: "Our goal is to work towards gaining the confidence of the Education Ministry to get subsidies for our students, hopefully within three years."

James Cook University's deputy vice-chancellor Dale Anderson, who is in charge of the Singapore campus, said: "For those putting in quality programmes, we don't want to be pulled down."

He added: "We're going to be relevant if our quality is as good as anybody else's. I believe it's good, but we need to show that to the Government."

Address exploitation issue to reduce workplace accidents

From Jolovan Wham Executive Director, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME)

TODAY,  Aug 30, 2012

We must re-examine our strategy towards workplace safety in light of the recent spate of accidents at construction sites.

Singapore's approach has been to step up enforcement checks, educate workers, raise public awareness and increase penalties for companies that ignore safety procedures. What is missing in the discussion is the impact of exploitation on safety.

In a study published last year about migrant Chinese construction workers, we found that 10- to 16-hour workdays from Mondays to Saturdays and eight-hour workdays on Sundays were commonly reported among the workers we interviewed.

Several workers cited long hours, up to 24 hours or longer, on split shifts. Such conditions mean that migrant construction workers have little or no rest time.

Lots of them can also be found in poor accommodation, especially those who live in construction sites. These places are often crowded, poorly ventilated and infested with bedbugs and pests.

Poor working and living conditions will significantly impact their ability to be alert at work.

In a study on the causes of accidents in the construction industry, Dr Margaret Chan of the University of Sydney found that factors such as failure to use equipment or failure by individual workers to follow safety procedures are also influenced by fatigue.

Construction work involves intense focus, heavy physical exertion and repetitive work tasks, factors that lead to tiredness and stress.

When workers have little control over their work choices, struggle to adjust to life here and have to worry about financial pressures, it may result in various forms of depression and anxiety.

This leads inadvertently to an inability to concentrate well at work, leaving them more vulnerable to accidents.

Exploitation must be taken more seriously. The Manpower Ministry should hold companies to account for making employees work beyond statutory limits. Employers should put in place fatigue management programmes as part of their strategy to reduce accidents.

They also need to drastically improve their workers' living conditions. The physical and psychological well-being of all workers needs to be addressed if we want significant, long-term reductions in the number of workplace fatalities.

Singaporeans' undercover kindness

From Singapolitics
Posted on Aug 30, 2012 12:03 PM Updated: Aug 30, 2012 3:54 PM

By Jalelah Abu Baker

Much attention has been paid this past week to the uglier side of Singaporean behaviour.
At his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on Singaporeans to be more gracious and big-hearted in their treatment of foreigners.

Yet, while we should reflect on and recognise such bad behaviour, it is also important that we do not lose sight of the fact that there is still so much that is good and gracious about our society.

All too often, it is the bad that gets circulated, printed, posted and retweeted. The good tends to keep a lower profile. About two weeks ago, I received a reminder of just how big-hearted Singaporeans can be, even towards foreigners.

I had written a story about a Bangladeshi man who was beaten up and robbed, rather mercilessly, if I might add. He had no money on him. Mr Sudip Chandro Bhandro Joy, 36, was cycling, on his way to meet his brother at Bugis, when two young men attacked him. He was left with serious injuries.

He was in a sad state. He was on medical leave and was not getting paid, so he could not make the monthly repayments for a loan he had taken with his home as collateral. Even feeding his two-year-old child back home became a problem. In the interview, he broke down.

All he wanted to do was go home, he said, to be hale and hearty so that he could work. But he did not have the funds he needed to seek hospital treatment.

From the day the story was published until a day ago, I was inundated with offers of help to him. To date, more than 100 offers have streamed into my mailbox.

Among them was a dentist who offered him free consultation to fix his teeth, which he said were numb, preventing him from eating properly.

Another good samaritan wrote: “It is so unfortunate that this person who came here to make ends meet for his family but he fell victim to one of our own citizens in a totally unprovoked sadistic attack. It's also a blot on our country and we should make some reparation for it as a society.”

There was nothing anti-foreigner in my inbox. If anything, it was the opposite. As one of the donors wrote to me said, it was precisely because Mr Sudip was a foreigner, because he had no support network here, that he wanted to help.

None of the people who came forward had anything to gain from offering their help. They would get no recognition, no medal. These are the Singaporeans we can be proud of. It is not the first time Singaporeans have rallied to help foreigners who have found themselves in unfortunate circumstances.

A substantial sum was raised for the two Chinese workers who died in the Bugis worksite collapse last month.

Thai teenager Nitcharee, who fell on MRT train tracks, and had to have both her legs amputated also had many Singaporeans lending a hand.

For sure, some of us may complain about the newcomers. Some of us resort to flaming them online or leer and scrunch our noses at them in the trains.

But in our efforts to build a more gracious society, I look to my inbox as a comforting reminder that we are not starting from zero.

Panasonic workers seek help

From PublicHouse, written by  Stacy Ooi

By Stacy Ooi and Biddy Low

At 7pm, having just knocked off from work, the Chinese foreign workers we’d met up to interview were still wearing their Panasonic factory uniforms and were mostly silent and withdrawn, shy when we asked them their names. One of them, Lin Meifang (not her real name) did all the talking – she was the one who’d arranged the meeting. Meifang and her co-workers have been organizing a petition for the past month, collecting signatures from their Panasonic co-workers to protest against exploitative working conditions and ridiculously low pay, amongst other injustices. A chirpy, stubborn woman who still sounded upbeat after knocking off at 12am a few days before this meeting, Meifang has been the driving force behind the mobilisation of her co-workers. ‘These Chinese workers know their rights,’ commented my co-reporter Biddy, ‘and they aren’t afraid to ask for them.’

We interviewed the workers in the middle of a park in Bedok where, amidst families taking relaxed weekend strolls and stray cats lazily stalking the grounds, the previously reticent Chinese workers described their plight with increasing anger and expressiveness. They’d each paid an average of RMB 35,000 (SGD7000) to their employment agents back in China, who’d promised them comfortable lifestyles to be had in Singapore with a minimum basic pay of $900 or $1000 (different workers were promised different things) and no need to work overtime. Life was hard in China and they jumped at the opportunity. Panasonic was a reputable company, after all. “我是因为名而来”, said one of the workers – he came because of the reputation of their brand.

Those familiar with tales of exploited migrant workers will already know how this one unfolds. They arrived in Singapore to find out that Panasonic’s starting pay was $500 and that they would not, in fact, get a $100 raise after working for three months as some of them were told. (The highest raise any of them has gotten is a patronizing $10.) Understandably, they wanted out. Except that there remained the problem of the RMB 35,000 worth of agent fees they paid – no one is willing to give the money back to them. Not their Singapore employment agent, not the Panasonic company, and not the MOM – the three main bodies here responsible for their welfare.

This is the most worrying fact illustrated by every single case of migrant worker abuse – how no one seems to take any responsibility for these workers. We put so much emphasis on the need to import foreign labour, and then fail to adequately ensure their welfare when they arrive. Employers value them for the economic benefits they bring, not for their worth as human beings –foreign workers help them remain economically competitive only if their pay is kept low, regardless of their resultant quality of living. When Meifang called Mr Cao – her Singapore agent – to ask for her fees back and to express concern over her low pay, he became verbally abusive and told her to go back to China to get her money.  The MOM, when she contacted them, promised to get back to her within 4 months at most, but 6 months have passed and her calls have been going unanswered. As for Panasonic, workers say their employers have threatened to retrench anyone who’s signed the petition. ‘One of my friends tells me she regrets signing it now,’ Meifang said with a laugh. ‘But even if they find out the names of those who’ve signed it, I don’t think it’s possible for them to retrench over a hundred of us.’ There is strength in numbers.

Many of them are cynical and despondent about ever recovering the exorbitant agent fees. ‘没用的’ and ‘没办法’ – meaning there is nothing to be done – were common phrases used. Most plan either to return to China and accept that they’ve lost the fees, or work here until they earn back what they’ve lost – earning everything back will take about 4 years, according to one of them. Some, like Meifang, choose to fight for their rights. But what rights are they entitled to? Overly low pay isn’t a valid complaint, because Singapore has no minimum wage. Claiming they were cheated isn’t sufficient because there is no contract to prove that they were promised certain things. What Meifang can press for, however, is RMB 10,000 – her Singapore agent received a cut of RMB 15,000 from her Chinese agent against the MOM’s law that local agents can only collect a maximum of two months’ basic pay for a two year work permit, i.e. RMB 5000 per person. This law, even if not consistently enforced, is the reason she’s staying here – she has better luck trying to get her fees in Singapore than back home where the laws protecting workers are less well enforced.

For the rest of this story, click on this link to PublicHouse.

Stop-work order lifted at Bugis accident site

Straits Times, Published on Aug 29, 2012

THE Manpower Ministry (MOM) has lifted a stop-work order at an underpass section of the Downtown Line Bugis station site, nearly six weeks after an accident that killed two workers.

Koh Brothers, the main contractor in the Bugis station project, announced this yesterday on the Singapore Exchange.

MOM had ordered a stop to all works at the underground walkway linking the Downtown Line to the existing East-West Line Bugis station last month, after a collapsed roof killed two Chinese nationals.

The supporting structure holding up the partially completed roof gave way, burying Mr Dou Chunjie from Anhui province, and Mr Meng Huaiyou from Jiangsu, under tonnes of wet concrete.

Koh Brothers submitted two proposals to MOM last week. One was on recovery plans for the Bugis site, including safe removal of debris.

The other covered work plans for rebuilding the fallen structure and revised safety and risk-assessment procedures.

Koh Brothers managing director Koh Keng Siang said yesterday that work on other unaffected areas of the Downtown Line Bugis station resumed within two days of the accident. The project is a joint venture between Koh Brothers and the Singaporean arm of French firm Soletanche-Bachy.

The Land Transport Authority previously said the incident would not delay the station's opening.

ROYSTON SIM

 

CCTV clips show maid's alleged rough handling of kid

Straits Times, Published on Aug 29, 2012

By Lim Yan Liang

A screen grab of one of the CCTV clips from Mr Tan appears to show Ms Siang forcefully pulling the toddler by her shoulder. -- PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO

ALTHOUGH her employer's young daughter was standing before an open fridge, a maid allegedly proceeded to shut its door.

It happened two days after the maid from Myanmar was hired, said Mr Tan Qing Yuan, 37, who has a video clip of the incident from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera he had fitted in his home.

Mr Tan, a driver, also accused Ms Siang Nei Thluai, 24, of mistreating his toddler, two, three times within an hour on a separate occasion.

He has made a police report.

"But the police officer told me we don't have enough evidence, and asked me to look for more evidence," Mr Tan told The Straits Times last night.

A police spokesman confirmed that a report was made a week ago, and that investigations are ongoing. He also said that what the investigating officer told Mr Tan is confidential.

Mr Tan showed The Straits Times several video clips.

In one of them, Ms Siang was seen closing the fridge door with one hand while carrying an infant in another arm.

She leaves the kitchen, and the fridge door moves a few times, before a toddler emerges from behind it and follows her.

Another clip shows the toddler, who was lying down in a playpen, being forcefully pulled up by her shoulder.

Mr Tan said Ms Siang was hired to look after his two younger girls, the toddler and the nine-month-old infant, as his wife, a human resource executive, also works during the day. Their eldest, who is four, attends a kindergarten in the daytime.

He claimed maid agency JLK Employment Services in Upper Serangoon Road had recommended Ms Siang for her experience with young children while working as a maid for four years in India.

JLK told Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao it will help the police in their investigations, adding the clips could be viewed as the maid being rough with the child, rather than child abuse.

Experts like Dr Carol Balhetchet, who saw the clips, said it was unlikely that abuse had occurred.

Said Dr Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society: "There is no abuse, but there is also no emotion involved. Pulling the arm like a rubber doll, that is very, very rough handling."

 

Body of worker who fell into pit flown home

Straits Times, Published on Aug 28, 2012

The wedding invitation card of Mr Palanivelu Ponmanickam, 30, and his wife K. Seetha, 20, who got married in India three years ago. The couple have a 11/2-year-old daughter.  -- PHOTO COURTESY OF PERIYAIYA SENTHILKUMAR

THE body of an Indian worker who died after falling into a 68m-deep hole at a construction site was flown back to his homeland last night.

Mr Palanivelu Ponmanickam, 30, was found dead on Sunday afternoon, about 24 hours after a steel cage that had become dislodged from its lifting chains dragged him down the pit in Tuas West.

His younger brother, Mr Palanivelu Murugesan, was at the mortuary yesterday to identify the body. He came out in tears, and was too distraught to speak.

The 24-year-old, who is also a construction worker and has been employed in Singapore for eight months, will be returning to India for good, as his mother is worried about his safety after losing her oldest child.

He will now have to repay loans worth about $20,000 that he took out, which were being taken care of by his brother.

Mr Ponmanickam is survived by his 20-year-old wife, Ms K. Seetha, and a daughter aged 11/2 years old.

He got married in India three years ago, but left shortly afterwards to resume working in Singapore.
The last time he went home was for a month in June, although he used to call home every night.

The worker had been employed in Singapore for 10 years without incident.

He earned about $1,300 a month, $1,000 of which he would send home. The money was used for his younger sister's wedding expenses.

His relative Periyaiya Senthilkumar, 32, said he was a kind, mild-mannered man with no bad habits.

The draftsman, who has been working in Singapore for 12 years, also described Mr Ponmanickam as hard-working.

He spent most of the weekends resting, and met friends occasionally on Sundays.

The construction project was for the Tuas West extension of the MRT's East-West Line.

The Manpower Ministry has ordered work at the site to stop while investigations are ongoing.

JALELAH ABU BAKER and PEARL LEE

 

Keep spirit of understanding, Singaporeans urged

Straits Times, Published on Aug 28, 2012

By Robin Chan Political Correspondent

 

SINGAPOREANS are not a xenophobic people and the vitriol hurled at foreigners online is out of character, two government ministers came out to say yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam stressed that most Singaporeans are fair-minded and gracious.

"The vitriol towards foreigners that we see especially in online discussions is quite out of our Singaporean character," Mr Tharman wrote in a Facebook post. "Bad behaviour by a small number of foreigners does not justify spiteful comment about foreigners in general, or all foreigners of a particular race. It does no one good," he added.

Mr Shanmugam said on Facebook that "the small minority, which is highly negative, and hiding behind anonymity, and spewing vitriol, should not be allowed to set the tone for the debate".

In his National Day Rally on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong raised concerns about the ungracious behaviour of some towards fellow Singaporeans and towards foreigners.

Yesterday, The Straits Times found that community leaders and experts had a range of views on the causes and seriousness of the problem. Some said Singapore society has indeed become less gracious. Of this group, some were also quick to point out that social media has amplified the voices of the discontented, who are in the minority.

Mr Tharman said concerns over foreigners were understandable, and that the Government has acted to reduce the inflow of foreign workers and change policies to favour Singaporeans.

But more than those adjustments in policies, the question is one of national character and the kind of Singaporean that people want to be, he said.

"We are basically a fair-minded, gracious people," Mr Tharman wrote.

He urged Singaporeans to keep a spirit of understanding and empathy to other Singaporeans and foreigners. He encouraged new citizens to make an effort to build friendships with Singaporeans, respect their values, and learn English so they can interact with Singaporeans of all races.

Mr Shanmugam said some of the comments made online against foreigners are "repulsive and xenophobic" and do not really represent the best spirit of Singapore.

"The majority of Singaporeans are tolerant, decent and open hearted," he added.

 

Panasonic workers demand better pay

They go online to protest against poor wages and working conditions
Straits Times, Published on Aug 27, 2012

By Toh Yong Chuan

MORE than 100 disgruntled Panasonic factory workers from China have started an online petition demanding higher pay and better working conditions, and that action be taken against their labour agent for over-charging them.

But Panasonic Asia Pacific said it has not received any official letter or petition from the workers. It has, however, started investigating the grievances.

The workers said in the petition last Wednesday that their monthly basic pay of $500 is too low and they need to work overtime to earn more.

They charged that the electronics giant had withheld their employment contracts and did not give them sufficient notice before making them work overtime.

They also alleged that their labour agent broke the law by charging them more than $6,000 each to bring them into Singapore.

Although 118 workers are said to have signed the petition, the online version did not carry any details of the petitioners.

The Straits Times understands that these petitioners work at Panasonic's Bedok factory, which produces compressors for air-conditioners. They are among 650 workers from China who form part of Panasonic's 5,400-strong workforce in Singapore.

Panasonic has refuted the charges. A spokesman said all entry-level workers get a minimum of $760, including allowances.

The firm also complies with the law on overtime work, and workers are given one week's notice.

"They have the right to accept or reject the overtime arrangement," the spokesman said.

While this is not the first time foreign workers have taken their grievances public, it is uncommon for them to turn to online petitions.

Explaining why the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) posted the workers' case online, its executive director Jolovan Wham said: "I am sympathetic to their plight because the problems they cite are common among many low- wage migrant workers here."

Meanwhile, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said it is looking into the case, and has urged the workers to step forward.

"It has been difficult for MOM to independently verify the facts because the workers involved are not named and have not come forward," a spokesman said.

The Straits Times spoke to three workers who said they had signed the petition, but two declined to be named for this report.

The third, 36-year-old Liu Xili, said he had quit and would be going home to Liaoning, China next month.

"Nobody forced me to work here, but the low pay is not worth it," he said in Mandarin.

Worker dies after falling into hole at worksite

Straits Times, Published on Aug 27, 2012

By Goh Shi Ting

Land Transport Authority staff at the Tuas West extension line worksite yesterday afternoon, following an incident the day before, when a worker fell into a bore hole. His body was recovered yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG

THE body of an Indian national was recovered yesterday afternoon, almost 24 hours after he fell into a 68m-deep bore hole at a Tuas construction site.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the 30-year-old man was caught by a rebar cage after it was dislodged from its lifting chains, dragging him down the hole. A rebar cage is made out of steel bars, and typically used to reinforce concrete structures.

"Officers from the Ministry of Manpower's Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate were on site to investigate the accident," said the spokesman.

The police said yesterday it received a call about the accident at about 2.50pm last Saturday.

Eyewitnesses told The Straits Times that they spotted several Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescue vehicles responding to the case that same afternoon. They remained at the scene, where the new Tuas West MRT extension line is being built, until the body of the worker was recovered. He was pronounced dead by SCDF officers at 1.40pm yesterday.

The MOM has since instructed the contractor, China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation, to stop work as investigations into the incident get underway.

An MOM spokesman said its preliminary findings indicate that workers were lowering the rebar cage into a 1.5m-wide bore hole before the incident happened.

There are four elevated stations in the 7.5km-long Tuas West extension of the East-West Line (EWL) from Joo Koon MRT.

China Railway 11 was awarded two contracts to build three new stations in the Tuas industrial area last November. Construction started early this year, and is set to be completed in 2016.

The dead worker's employers could not be reached yesterday.

A Land Transport Authority spokesman said yesterday that it was deeply saddened by the loss of life, and will assist the MOM in its investigation.

When The Straits Times visited the accident site yesterday, workers were being instructed to leave the area, while engineers were seen inspecting the area.

Rebar cages were also being moved around using cranes.

This latest incident comes after two workers were killed last month when a scaffolding collapsed at an underground walkway linking the EWL's Bugis station to the Downtown Line.

Worker dies after falling into hole at worksite

From AsiaOne
Monday, Aug 27, 2012

SINGAPORE - An Indian national died after falling into a 68m deep bore hole at the Tuas West extension line worksite.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said its preliminary findings revealed that the workers were in the process of lowering a rebar cage when it got dislodged from its lifting chains and dragged the 30-year-old worker into a 1.5m-wide bore hole.

A rebar cage is made of steel and is commonly used to reinforce concrete structures.

The Straits Times reported that the police was notified of the accident at around 2.50pm last Saturday and subsequently dispatched Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescue vehicles to the scene.

Eyewitnesses said that the SCDF officers continued the rescue operation until the body of the worker was recovered the next day, almost 24 hours later.

The Indian worker was pronounced dead by SCDF officers at 1.40pm on Sunday.

A MOM spokesperson said they have instructed the contractor, China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation, to cease operations.

Officers from MOM's Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate are investigating the accident.
Construction for this project commenced early this year and is set for completion in 2016.

From The Wall Street Journal, Asia

By CHUN HAN WONG
August 26, 2012

SINGAPORE—Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday expressed worry that rising antiforeigner sentiment has hurt the city-state's global reputation and he urged citizens to be more tolerant of foreigners.

"I think it's fair enough to express concern, or to disagree with our immigration trends, or to oppose our immigration policies," Mr. Lee said in his annual National Day Rally speech, acknowledging that the influx of foreigners in recent years has exacerbated socioeconomic problems in the tiny Southeast Asian island.

"But I am worried by some of the nasty views which are expressed, especially online, and especially anonymously," Mr. Lee said. Such outbursts by citizens against foreigners, on the Internet and in public, "reflect badly on us [and] damage our international reputation—people think that Singapore is antiforeigner [and] xenophobic."

The prime minister's comments come after Singapore's government in July announced new measures to control the inflow of foreigners. Policy makers are trying to strike a balance in keeping the city-state a top destination for foreign workers and new immigrants—seen as a way to offset Singapore's low birthrates—while containing antiforeigner sentiment here.

Resentment against foreigners isn't new in Singapore, where large numbers of wealthy expatriates live. In 2011, nearly 40% of Singapore's population of 5.2 million people were foreign-born permanent residents or temporary residents, government data show. Singapore citizens had made up 74% of the population in 2000, and 91% in 1980.

Many native Singaporeans say foreign-born residents take jobs, push up property prices and add new strains on the city-state's infrastructure, especially its crowded subways.

Such sentiment has undercut support for the ruling People's Action Party, which won last year's general election by its slimmest margin ever. A survey by the Singapore-based Institute of Policy Studies showed that 52% of voters said immigration was an important issue to them in that election.
Criticism of foreigners has taken an increasingly xenophobic tone over the past year, analysts say, with more Singaporeans turning to social media to broadcast their views. Tensions have also heightened amid recent incidents including a deadly car crash in May caused by a Chinese national in a speeding Ferrari and an assault on a local taxi driver by three expatriates in 2010.

"Singaporeans must show a generosity of spirit to one another, including new arrivals," Mr. Lee said in his speech Sunday. "New arrivals must also embrace our values, commit themselves to Singapore and integrate into our community."

Government leaders have said that immigration helps Singapore sustain its economic growth and mitigate the impact of a low birthrate. Singapore's birthrate is among the lowest world-wide, at 7.72 births per 1,000 people, according to 2011 estimates from the CIA World Factbook.

Nonetheless, authorities have taken more steps in recent months to address immigration concerns, including raising financial barriers for foreign workers seeking entry and handing citizens more benefits than go to foreign-born residents in areas like education and health care.

Among the measures announced in July, the government is raising the minimum income levels that would qualify foreign workers to sponsor their spouses and children to accompany them while they live and work in Singapore. Certain foreign workers also will no longer be allowed to bring parents and in-laws into Singapore on long-term-visit passes.

Singapore's Parliament is also mulling changes to toughen its immigration law, the first major amendment since 2004. If passed, it would make marriages of convenience--entered into to obtain immigration privileges--a criminal offense, among other steps.

Feeling help-less without a maid

Straits Times, Published on Aug 26, 2012

By Deepika Shetty

 

When our helper last month decided to leave us and Singapore for good after 10 years, in a state of foolhardiness, I bravely announced that I would not replace her.

Although I work full time, I decided I would do the domestic chores myself, with help from my husband and our two children. We gave ourselves a deadline of December to see how it would work out. Then, we would collectively make a call on whether we would hire full-time help again.

Well, barely one month into this experiment, and it has not worked out. I am folding and packing away this self-inflicted interlude with a sigh of relief.

The move to manage without a helper while SuperMum (that is, me) made it all happen may seem naive in hindsight, but at the time it had these apparent pluses:

The move will help us save money. Between the salary, the levy and monthly expenses, full-time help costs any household at the very least $700 a month.

This was a good time to train the kids to be fully independent.

We would be in total control of our home. After 10 years, long-time help kind of rules on the domestic front.

Mopping, cleaning, ironing, washing, walking up and down steps to get to our bedrooms would be a work-out in itself. I would need no other form of exercise.

And given my Superwoman instincts, this was the clincher: If women elsewhere can keep it together juggling a job and household chores, why can't I?

So with the optimism born of ignorance, I started out on a trail that would ultimately result in domestic blitz.

At first, it was a breeze because I took a break from my job. I had entire days to get acquainted with my inner domestic goddess. Oh, the novelty of it all for a woman engrossed in a demanding career in journalism for over 15 years. I put aside my laptop, recorder, pen and shorthand notebook and embraced my mop, washing machine and ironing and chopping boards.

Instead of interviewing movers and shakers on the arts and Indian entertainment scene, there I was, feverishly focused on the polishing, cleaning and scrubbing. By the time my brood returned home, the day's work was done and there was still time for an evening walk.

Floors glistened, clothes were neatly ironed, the dinner table set, food prepped for my husband to rustle up dinner, followed by the day's biggest task, grappling with school homework.

I could so do this, I told myself, a week into the experiment.

The first cracks appeared when I had this conversation with my wise old Dad. "I am loving housework," I enthused on the telephone to India, where he lives.

In his perfectly composed manner, he responded frankly: "You are loving it because you know it will not last forever."

Having himself had experience balancing the tasks at home with the demands of a full-time job, he went on: "Stop fooling yourself. Housework can get to you. Take it from me. And what is the point of working if you cannot get help for yourself in a country where there are options?"

His words of wisdom were to hit home the week that I returned to real paid work and had to fit in housework around that. Dad was right. Multi-tasking is not for me.

Between work, housework and homework, I was in a spin. As I filed stories, I worried about the washing machine. Did I remember to turn it on?

When I was home, I was thinking of my stories. Did I miss anything? Would there be need for a correction the next day?

By the time I was done with dinner and the dishwashing, I was too cranky for any type of work, let alone homework.

When I spoke at length about my laundry list to an art collector friend, he rather unsympathetically joked: "And you have not washed the car?"

Then, my notions of getting fit through housework were shattered. My walking mate, Nasreen Ramnath, made the accurate observation: "No one ever lost weight doing housework." Sure, I had re-acquainted myself with muscles I barely knew existed. Yes, I was feeling kind of toned but the weighing scale barely budged.

At the same time, I was also tired, all the time. It was a struggle even to get out of bed, let alone go for a walk with my friend. In fact, just to get energy to keep going, I began tucking all too eagerly into my freshly baked brownies.

Just when it was all going pear-shaped (and not just in terms of my figure), my pal recommended a transfer maid, whom we welcomed to our household this week.

With help from family and friends, I have finally seen the light. I'm no Superwoman, but a real-life person for whom juggling the full-time job of a journalist and the full-time job that is housework has now been filed in the too-hard basket.

For this 21st-century mum, beyond a week, it sure was no fun being help-less.

 

New film the voice of maids in Delhi

Straits Times, Published on Aug 26, 2012
By Nirmala Ganapathy, India Correspondent, In New Delhi

Actress Anjali Patil as a domestic helper in the film Delhi In A Day, which portrays how domestic help is treated in many wealthy Indian families. A government task force has found that many domestic workers do not get decent wages, have no defined work hours and no days off, and face abuse in extreme cases. -- PHOTO: AFP

In a luxurious house in Delhi, a power cut wakes a couple up in the wee hours of the morning. The wife turns over and screams into an intercom asking the domestic help to fix the generator. When there is no response, she goes to the kitchen and takes to task the three domestic workers, who are preparing for the day's chores.

"Idiots," she mutters.

For engineer turned film-maker Prashant Nair, the opening scene of his movie Delhi In A Day captures his view of how domestic help is treated in many wealthy Indian families.

"Every time I came to Delhi for a visit, the dynamics between families and their servants struck me," said Mr Nair, 35, the son of an Indian diplomat who studied in various schools abroad before graduating from an American university.

"There were many, many incidents of physical and verbal abuse in very public environments like dinner parties."

All those insights have gone into the director's first Hindi feature movie, in which he takes a humorous but dark look at the class dynamics between the Bhatias, a family of four, and their staff of six servants.

Though Mr Nair, an Indian-origin French national who now lives in Berlin, does not touch on the more gory aspects of physical and verbal abuse that many household helpers are subjected to in India, his film still makes a point by focusing on the treatment of domestic workers for whom there are no
protective laws or unions in the country.

"I think it would be good if people felt a little conscious about how they treated those less fortunate," he said.

The film comes at an interesting time. The fast-paced economic growth of the last decade has made many Indian families wealthy and led to the expansion of the middle class. But at the same time, it has also widened the gap between the rich and the poor.

Many poor families from rural areas often sell their children to unscrupulous agents and placement agencies, which find them jobs in households for a pittance, after taking a cut.

Official estimates show 20 per cent of the country's 12.6 million child workers are employed in homes. And pay can be lower than 1,000 rupees (S$22) for a full day's work.

A government task force recently found many household helpers did not get decent wages, had no defined work time, no days off and faced loneliness, violence, abuse and sexual harassment in some extreme cases.

"There are a number of cases where maids are being exploited and it has come out in public, so the issue is already under some focus. But it's very good that a film has been made on it," said Mr Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation, which rescues underage domestic workers from homes and factories.

He wants to take the film to rural audiences.

"The message has to reach villages. All these girls are coming from rural areas, so there is a need to spread awareness that if families are sending young girls to work in homes, they should know how they are being treated," he said.

In April, Delhi was particularly shocked by the case of a 13-year-old maid who was locked in an apartment for five days with little food or water when her employers went to Thailand on holiday.
The maid was rescued after neighbours heard her crying for help. A case is ongoing against her employers.

Social activists are pressing hard for a law to protect the rights of domestic workers.

"We are moving the government on this issue, saying we want protection for maids so that they are given a handsome salary and are respected and not mistreated," said Mr Kant.

In Mr Nair's film, the Bhatia family plays host to a British visitor, who comes to India hoping for spiritual enlightenment but is instead exposed to the class divisions in Indian society when his money gets stolen and the finger of suspicion automatically points to the domestic workers.

The film also shows his discomfort with the way the household help is treated and taunted as they go about their endless chores from washing dishes and clothes to rolling out rotis (Indian bread) and serving drinks.

"We, as a society, feel making a maid or driver work for an extra three to four hours is fine. But it's not," said actress Anjali Patil, who plays the role of a maid in the movie, which opened last Friday in 65 cinemas in India.

Worker left to die kept a low profile

He left wife and kids in India to seek better living here, earning money sporadically

Straits Times, Published on Aug 26, 2012

By Lim Yan Liang

 

Mr Chelladurai (above) was changing ceiling lights in a condominium lobby in 2010 when he fell off a ladder andfractured his skull. His boss Tay Kok Eng  claimed he did not want to go to hospital because he feared being caught as an illegal worker. Tay took him to two clinics and both doctors said he needed to go to hospital. Mr Chelladurai began losing consciousness and Tay and another man dumped him in Upper Changi Road East, called 995 and left. He was dead when paramedics arrived. Tay was jailed for nine months and fined $12,000 for leaving him to die by the road, employing an illegal worker, and failing to keep his worker safe. -- PHOTOS: SHINMIN FILE, ST FILE

Farmer Chelladurai Lenin left his wife and three young children in Chennai, India, in 2000, saying he was off to seek a better living in Singapore.

Reports say he called his wife Kunjathammal only once, and she relied on bits of news from other Indian workers who returned home.

Then, on March 30, 2010, she received a call informing her that he was dead. He had ended up an illegal worker who got injured and was dumped to die by the roadside.

His family received his ashes wrapped in white cloth and placed in a transparent plastic box.

Mr Chelladurai's story was in the news last week, when businessman Tay Kok Eng, 56, was jailed for nine months and fined $12,000 for leaving him to die by the road, employing an illegal worker, and failing to keep his worker safe.

Court documents say there was no record of the 47-year-old having entered Singapore legally. For him, life here was one of lying low and earning money sporadically.

Between August 2009 and March 2010, he was hired by Tay to do maintenance and lighting work, and he used someone else's work permit. He was paid $40 for each stint of eight to nine hours' work.

He was changing ceiling lights in a condominium lobby in 2010 when he fell off a ladder and fractured his skull.

Tay claimed he did not want to go to hospital because he feared being caught as an illegal worker. Tay took him to two clinics and both doctors said he needed to go to hospital.

Mr Chelladurai began losing consciousness. Tay and another man dumped him in Upper Changi Road East, called 995 and took off. He was dead when paramedics arrived.

Tay, the owner of Midas Maintenance and Services, is the only one dealt with. The other man has not been found.

Non-profit groups that help migrant workers thought Tay's three-month sentence for leaving Mr Chelladurai to die was too light.

Ms Debbie Fordyce of Transient Workers Count Too said Tay "treated his worker as disposable", and added: "His expectation was to evade punishment by not being tied to his seriously injured worker, and that is morally and ethically unacceptable."

Undertaker Roland Tay told The Sunday Times that he recalls the case vividly. The boss of Direct Funeral Services said he had heard about the incident and tried to locate Mr Chelladurai's next of kin for weeks, but got nowhere. Then, he was at the mortuary one day when a man approached him.

"He said his countryman had passed away, but he couldn't afford to take the body," said Mr Tay. "It was luck that he approached me."

Mr Tay paid for the funeral expenses, which included the casket, garlands and other items required for Hindu death rites. He and seven friends also raised $3,500, which he wired to the dead man's widow.

Some days later, he received a short note from Madam Kunjathammal, in Tamil, thanking him for the money and for sending back her husband's ashes, which she had scattered at sea.

"She was very thankful and said the money when converted was more than 100,000 rupees, and would go towards her family's daily expenses," he said.

She enclosed a photograph of herself and her children, aged eight to 15, receiving the cash in a remittance office.

Mr Tay, who still has the photo, said Mr Chelladurai's story is one he will never forget.

"It was really tragic the way he died, and his body was unclaimed for nearly a month. I hope the children are being taken care of."

 

Hopes for a more gracious society

Straits Times, Published on Aug 25, 2012

Given growing anti-foreigner sentiments, Ms Tan wants the PM to urge Singaporeans to be kinder towards the vulnerable. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

Ms Bridget Tan, 63
Migrant workers activist

LAWS like the one mandating a weekly day off for maids from next year are a start, but more needs to be done for Singapore to have a kinder, more gracious future.

So says activist Bridget Tan, 63, who hopes the Prime Minister will use the National Day Rally to chart out how Singapore can be more gracious towards migrant workers, in particular those in the lower strata who are vulnerable to exploitation.

"We are considered First World in many things, such as transport, town planning, airports... but when it comes to our record on human rights, we could be seen as lagging behind," she says.

For example, the new laws mandating weekly days off for maids do not specify that it should be 24 hours off. There is also more to be done in nurturing an attitude of respect and appreciation for migrant workers who contribute to Singapore's growth.

Ms Tan believes Singapore has the potential to play a leading role in the region in having model laws to protect migrant workers, if the leadership will only set this as a priority.

Given growing expressions of anti-foreigner sentiments, she wants the PM to urge Singaporeans to be kinder towards the vulnerable. While her focus is on migrant workers, Ms Tan says such a message also applies to the elderly and the poor.

At the same time, interest groups need to be active and credible partners of the Government.
Says Ms Tan, who ploughed her retirement funds into founding the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics in 2004: "No government is perfect. Neither are we as a non-governmental organisation perfect. But together, we may be able to make a better Singapore.

"I hope we can be First World not just in commerce, industry, and even governance, but First World also in the way we treat people," she says.

PHUA MEI PIN

***

Background story

FOR A BETTER S'PORE
No government is perfect. Neither are we as a non-governmental organisation perfect. But together, we may be able to make a better Singapore.
- Ms Bridget Tan

Time for grand narratives over

Straits Times, Published on Aug 25, 2012

Ms Ramani and Prof Mohan are inspired by Singaporeans forging their own path, like fashion designers and civil society activists. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Prof Mahdev Mohan, 32
Assistant professor of law at Singapore Management University

His wife Vinita Ramani, 34
Writer and editor

TWO recent changes that spoke to Prof Mahdev Mohan were the setting up of a task force on human trafficking and changes to the mandatory death penalty.

He welcomed them as signals that Singapore is trying to align local laws with international practice.
He and his wife Vinita Ramani run Access to Justice Asia, a human rights consultancy which they set up in 2008.

He adds: "I'm hoping that part of the message is: 'We are making these changes not just to look better but also because we sincerely believe that you are ready, and if you are collectively saying that this needs to be done, we are going to do it.'"

Prof Mohan feels the biggest contribution the Government can make is to erase the stigma attached to being involved in civil society.

"By branding human rights people as fanatics, or considering certain types of NGOs politically motivated, this has had a chilling effect on Singaporeans who have no political agenda whatsoever," he says.

Last year, the former commercial litigator with Drew and Napier led a team of lawyers to represent Khmer Rouge victims pro bono in a United Nations-backed tribunal.

It was the first time Singaporean lawyers had been involved in an international war crimes trial.
Ms Ramani shares his hope that civil society will be given space to try out ideas, "let them fail, let them pick themselves up, figure out what model works".

The couple are also inspired by Singaporeans who are forging their own path, from founders of indie bookstores to fashion designers and fellow civil society activists.

Ms Ramani says: "Hats off to them. It gives me a sense of hope for the future because they are creating community and creative spirit."

They believe that the time for grand national narratives has passed.

The key to forging a national spirit now is to let Singaporeans be themselves.

Prof Mohan says: "You talk about narratives only if you're trying to construct something. Why contrive in that way?"

For this National Day Rally, instead of giving a pep talk and presenting a grand vision, he thinks it would be much better for the speakers to present ideas for various sectors in society, then step back and "start trusting that people can live up to it".

ANDREA ONG

MRT contractor seeks lifting of stop-work order at Bugis site

Straits Times, Published on Aug 25, 2012

By Christopher Tan Senior Correspondent

 

THE main contractor in the Bugis MRT project, the site of a collapse more than five weeks ago that killed two workers, has taken the first steps to get a "stop-work" order lifted.

Publicly listed Koh Brothers told The Straits Times yesterday that it has submitted two proposals to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). One is on its recovery plans for the Bugis station site, including the safe removal of debris from the collapsed roof of an underground walkway linking the East-West Line's Bugis MRT station to the Downtown Line.

The second proposal covers revised safety and risk-assessment procedures and new work plans for rebuilding the fallen structure.

MOM confirmed that its Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate has received the two submissions from Koh Brothers, and is reviewing them.

A ministry spokesman said the stop-work order will be lifted only if the proposals are approved.
The cessation of work had cast a cloud of doubt over the on-time completion of Stage 1 of the Downtown Line, which is scheduled to open in the second half of next year.

But the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is confident the incident will not delay the opening because the project is ahead of schedule.

The ministry is still investigating the July 18 worksite accident - the LTA's worst since the Nicoll Highway collapse in 2004.

Two Chinese national workers were buried by tonnes of wet concrete when the supporting structure of the partially completed walkway roof gave way.

The pair - Mr Dou Chunjie from Anhui province and Mr Meng Huaiyou from Jiangsu province - were said to have been under the structure looking for leaks.

A week after the incident, the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES) said no one should have been under the formwork - which is a term for a mould into which liquid concrete or similar materials are poured into.

IES vice-president Chong Kee Sen said that if the formwork is well designed and built, it should not leak in the first place. But contractors say checking for leaks is a common practice - unsafe as it is.
Eight other workers, who were on the formwork ensuring that the poured concrete was evenly distributed, were injured in the mishap.

Nine Singapore Civil Defence Force officers who were involved in the rescue operation suffered chemical burns on their limbs from contact with the caustic concrete mixture.

 

Men rescued from gondola

TODAY, Aug 22, 2012

 

SINGAPORE - Two men were trapped in a gondola hanging from the side of UOB Plaza at Raffles Place yesterday evening, and had to be rescued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

The SCDF said it received a call from a member of the public, and arrived to find that the gondola had stalled eight storeys above ground, with the two men inside.

The SCDF rescuers first secured the two men with safety lines. A ladder was then extended from a window on the eighth floor into the gondola, and secured to the gondola and to the interior of the building.

A rescuer from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team then climbed into the gondola and guided the workers into the eighth floor window using the ladder.

The rescue operation was completed within 40 minutes.

The two men were assessed by the paramedic on site and were not taken to the hospital.

Man jailed for abandoning dying worker

by Kimberly Spykerman

TODAY, Aug 22, 2012

 

SINGAPORE - A sole proprietor of a maintenance and services company was yesterday jailed nine months and fined S$12,000 for dumping his dying employee on a pavement in March 2010.

Besides the charge for illegally depositing a corpse, Tay Kok Eng, 56, also pleaded guilty to two other charges of hiring an illegal immigrant and failing to ensure safe working conditions.

The body of 42-year-old Chelladurai Lenin was found at 50, Upper Changi Road East, on March 30, 2010. The Indian national, who was injured after falling from a ladder, had been hired by Tay as a general worker. Mr Lenin had refused hospital treatment for fear of being deported.

Tay then took him to two private clinics for treatment and also asked the worker's friend to take him home. Tay later placed Mr Lenin at the back of a van and drove to Upper Changi Road. He stopped at a pavement and Mr Lenin, who was dying at that point, was deposited there by his friend.

In his mitigation plea yesterday, Tay was said to have tried to seek help for Mr Lenin. Tay was also not the one who suggested leaving Mr Lenin on the pavement but did it as he had panicked and was confused. Kimberly Spykerman

Enforce law requiring work injury compensation insurance

Straits Times, Forum, Published on Aug 22, 2012

SENIOR correspondent Radha Basu was spot on when she wrote that enhanced laws on migrant labour will mean little without enforcement ("Mind the gap between principle and practice"; Sunday).
In this connection, among the worst failings has been where employers have not bought insurance for work injury compensation.

After an industrial accident, a worker suffers a permanent incapacity that diminishes his future ability to support himself and his family. Yet, the employer does not pay compensation even when so ordered, citing its own cash flow problems and lack of insurance.

Typically, workers report to us that they have been advised by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to sue the employer, but such a process requires a lawyer and court fees which low-wage workers, already destitute, cannot afford.

The problem should have been nipped in the bud with vigorous enforcement of the existing law requiring work injury compensation insurance, yet going by the number of heartbreaking cases our group sees, the problem persists.

MOM should disclose how many cases of permanent incapacity occurred in each of the past five years, how many cases did not have work injury compensation insurance and how many successful prosecutions there have been in the same period.

Alex Au Waipang
Treasurer
Transient Workers Count
Too

Replies - Who's required to stay for cases: MOM

Straits Times, Forum, Published on Aug 22, 2012

FOREIGNERS assisting the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) with investigations into employment-related offences are issued with special passes which legitimise their stay in Singapore ("Queries on special-pass foreigners" by Mr Alex Tang; last Thursday).

Only those who are key witnesses are required to remain in Singapore till the case is concluded.
We facilitate the repatriation of those who do not wish to stay after they have given their statements to us and are no longer required for investigations.

At no point do we put special pass holders under "house arrest".

Special pass holders are allowed and encouraged to take up employment either on a new two-year work pass or on a temporary basis under the Temporary Jobs Scheme till the conclusion of their cases.

We ensure that all investigations are conducted expeditiously.

Depending on the nature and complexity of the cases, some may require a longer investigation period.

Farah Abdul Rahim (Ms)
Director
Corporate Communications
Ministry of Manpower

 

Migrant workers at Panasonic’s Singapore plant start petition

From Asian Correspondent
By Kirsten Han Aug 21, 2012 4:01PM UTC

The Chinese migrant workers at Panasonic’s Singapore plant are at the end of their rope. After attempts to discuss and negotiate with management failed, the men and women have decided to send in a petition to draw attention to their grievances.

Panasonic, a multi-national corporation dealing mainly in electronics manufacturing, posted an operating profit of S$618.99 million (USD493.67 million) in the first quarter of 2012. It has its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, along with sales, logistics, manufacturing, R&D, trading and supply divisions. The workers involved in the petition are from Panasonic Refrigeration Devices Singapore Pte Ltd (PRDS), one of the manufacturing divisions.

The petition, originally written in Chinese, highlights the workers’ plight: with a basic pay of S$500 (approx. USD399) a month, many are forced to work overtime (often beyond the legal limit of 72 hours) to earn a decent wage.

But many of these workers have actually paid up to S$6000 (approx. USD4786) each to the employment agency to be brought to Singapore to work for Panasonic. According to Singapore’s Employment Agencies Act, it is illegal to charge so much money for a work placement. The Act states that an employment agency can only charge two months’ basic salary for a two-year work permit; in this case the agency has charged up to six times that amount.

The workers are now questioning Panasonic working with such an employment agency. “As a leading MNC in the electronics industry, we are concerned that the company has engaged an employment agency which exploits our vulnerability and ignorance of Singapore’s laws,” reads the English version of the petition.

For the rest of the story, click here. 

Rural migrants 'could power consumption'

But workers need better access to basic welfare services in cities where they live and work

TODAY, Aug 21, 2012

 

BEIJING - China's domestic migrant labour force could power consumer spending growth in the world's second-biggest economy if workers had better access to basic welfare services in the cities where they live and work, a new government report says.

The 230-million-strong migrant workforce drives China's economy, but a lack of access to education, health and other services tied to the country's strict household registration system is forcing them to save.

"Giving the migrant population living in cities permanent status and giving them equal access to fundamental public services would greatly stimulate China's consumption growth," the National Population and Family Planning Commission said in its latest annual report.

It found that only 23.1 per cent of Chinese migrants last year had pension insurance in the city in which they lived, 13.6 per cent of them were covered by unemployment insurance and 64.3 per cent had medical insurance. This forces migrants into massive precautionary saving to pay market rates for services in cities.

City dwellers covered for six basic welfare services typically spend 1.4 times as much as those who are not, the report said.

It warned that China could have 250 million migrant workers by 2015, 190 million of whom would have no access to welfare services.

Migrant workers, who come from the impoverished countryside, are relatively low-paid. But these workers have earned annual double-digit pay rises for years, making them a huge potential source of consumer spending.

Consumption-driven growth is regarded by many economists as a more stable development model for China than the investment-driven path trodden so far, which the International Monetary Fund says stokes over-capacity and inefficiency.

REUTERS

Put a stop to 'instant brides'

Straits Times, Published on Aug 19, 2012

By Theresa Tan

 

Singapore has become home to a growing number of Vietnamese women, introduced to their Singaporean husbands by marriage brokers. These "instant marriages" have been taking place for more than a decade.

Until the Vietnamese authorities began cracking down on marriage brokers, single Singapore men used to go on tours to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam that let them pick from hundreds of women paraded before them and get married, all within a week.

More recently, those tours have become more discreet, and Singapore brokers have begun flying the women here to meet prospective husbands.

As the number of Vietnamese wives has risen to an estimated 2,000 now, help agencies here say they are seeing the fallout of quickie marriages gone wrong.

There are real problems when strangers who share nothing in common and do not speak each other's language wed, when a foreign woman arrives to settle in an unfamiliar place and where mothers-in-law also have a say in the marriage.

Non-profit groups helping Vietnamese wives in distress report all sorts of problems, from abuse and abandonment, to bullying by mothers-in-law and children being separated from their mothers when these marriages break down. Although the numbers are small, it is not too soon to consider curbs on the instant brides business.

Because marriage brokers earn a fee when a marriage is sealed - and not when an introduction is made in the case of dating agencies - they rush two strangers to marry, often after no more than two or three meetings.

The brokers sell convenient stereotypes: Men are assured of submissive, good-natured virgins, while the women are told Singapore men are loving providers. Nobody knows how many such
unions have crumbled when couples wake up to a reality different from the rosy picture painted to them. And because the men pay to get a wife, some feel they are entitled to lord over - and even abuse - their partners.

Vietnam has taken the position that marriage brokers are human traffickers and began clamping down in recent years. The authorities have raided bride selection parades staged for foreign men, and jailed brokers for lengthy periods.

According to Vietnamese media reports, brokers and their Vietnamese partners profit the most, earning between US$5,000 (S$6,200) and US$10,000 per marriage, whereas the women's families receive only US$150 to US$500.

The women enter these marriages willingly, but are often given false or vague information about their suitors' background and family circumstances. The brokers hardly run any checks on prospective grooms.

South Korea and Taiwan - which have seen the arrival of Vietnamese brides on a much larger scale - have taken action after high-profile stories of Vietnamese brides being murdered or sold into prostitution by their husbands.

In Taiwan, home to more than 40,000 Vietnamese brides, the Government banned businesses brokering marriages to foreigners in 2009. Men who want to find a foreign wife now have to approach non-profit groups approved by the authorities. Brokers who defy the ban face fines of up to NT$1 million. (S$41,200)

More than 35,000 South Korean men have taken Vietnamese brides. Now Seoul has also initiated measures to curb the trade.

Last year, it banned brokers from introducing girls under 18 years old and from introducing two or more women at the same time to a potential groom.

Brokers are also required to provide the foreign women with notarised medical, marital and other records of the men. Those who flout the law face a maximum of three years' jail or up to 20 million won (S$21,800) in fines.

The number of Vietnamese wives in Singapore is only a fraction of that in Taiwan and South Korea. There may not have been as many horror stories here, but there have been cases such as that of the 64-year-old married cobbler who some years ago claimed to be a widower, handed a marriage broker a dud cheque and took a 21-year-old virgin as his "wife".

He never registered the marriage, took the woman to a Geylang hotel and had sex with her for more than six days before disappearing. The man was caught and jailed 41/2 years for tricking the woman into having sex and cheating the broker.

And given the problems that have already surfaced, it is not too soon for action here as well.

There may be a case for banning marriage brokers outright, given that these women are entirely dependent on their husbands for their right to remain in Singapore, and fear lodging complaints even if they are mistreated by their spouses or duped by their marriage brokers.

Singapore has acted to accredit dating agencies in order to raise standards and to weed out fly-by-night operators. That provides a degree of assurance to singles in Singapore who use such agencies to find their mates.

Marriage brokers need regulation as well, because the women who arrive via instant marriages are so much more vulnerable.
 

Service crunch: Mindset change needed

SundayLife! finds out why locals shun serving and restaurateurs speak up on the manpower problems

Straits Times, Published on Aug 19, 2012

By Rebecca Lynne Tan

Staff waiting on tables at Skinny Pizza in Raffles City. Restaurateurs say that a tipping service will not solve the manpower crunch. -- PHOTOS: SPA ESPRIT GROUP, ALPHONSUS CHERN

Hospitality graduate T.S. Quek's dream is to open a small eatery of his own.

That was why the 27-year-old had decided on a diploma in hospitality management in 2002.
After graduating in 2005, he worked for three years in an eatery, working the floor and rising from management trainee to outlet manager.

But the long, irregular shifts that would sometimes span about 12 hours, coupled with a salary that was below what he had hoped to be earning, wore him down. He was drawing $1,650 as an outlet manager at the time.

He says: "I didn't think I could be a waiter all my life."

So he left the industry and has been in property sales for the last three years. He now earns more than double what he used to, excluding bonuses. But he hopes to earn enough to be able to set aside capital for his own F&B start-up one day.

Upfront about why he left the F&B industry, he says: "The pay is not fantastic and I wanted to earn more money."

Others feel the same way.

Restaurateurs, and both current and former service staff say the long hours and generally less than attractive pay seem to be key reasons for the severe manpower crunch in the industry.

SundayLife!'s report last week about the lack of service staff received many responses from the public, and food and beverage operators wanting to air their concerns about lacklustre service and the difficulty in recruiting Singaporeans.

Salary for full-time service crew can range from $1,000 to more than $2,000, depending on the level of experience. Those in supervisory positions can be paid more than $5,000, depending on the employer.

What will it take to persuade Singaporeans to take up service jobs?

Those that SundayLife! spoke to say that paying service staff more or introducing a tipping system will not solve the manpower problem.

Restaurateurs thinking of offering higher salaries will probably pass on some of the extra costs to diners, who may not be willing to pay the price.

Even those who pay more cannot attract Singaporeans.

Restaurateur and hotelier Loh Lik Peng, who also co-owns restaurants such as Viajante in London and Table No. 1 in Shanghai, says he does not face these problems overseas.

He says: "When we advertise for a service staff job position overseas, we receive 50 applications. Here, when we advertise with a clause saying that only Singaporeans and PRs need apply, we get 50 applications from foreigners and just one or two from locals."

This is despite the fact that salaries for wait staff at his restaurants start at $1,800 a month, which is on the higher end of the pay spectrum here.

"It is frustrating," he says.

He says one of the reasons for the manpower crunch is Singapore's low unemployment rate.

People like Mr Quek have better options.

The Manpower Ministry's lowering of the foreign worker dependency ratio ceiling in the service sector from 50 to 45 per cent also does not help.

Mr Loh says: "There are just not enough Singaporean bodies."

In cities such as London, which is near other European countries with high unemployment rates, labour is much easier to find. The less stringent foreign worker labour laws there also favour businesses.

In countries such as China, Indonesia, and India, people are also hungrier for jobs, say restaurateurs such as Mr Andrew Tjioe, chief executive of the TungLok Group, which runs restaurants in these countries.

Mr Olivier Bendel, chief executive of the Deliciae Hospitality Management restaurant group, which runs restaurants such as Sabio at Duxton Hill and the newly opened La Cantine at Asia Square, says the problem of a lack of service staff and those who want to enter the industry, is one that comes with a nation's rising affluence.

He says: "It is something that all rich countries face."

Even so, the restaurateur, who has operated restaurants in France, says it is less difficult to hire staff over there than it is here.

In the United States, tips are a big draw for service staff.

Chef Craig Schantz of Tanjong Beach Club, who has worked in restaurants such as Momofuku Ma Peche and Cafe Grey in New York, says wait staff can easily make between US$150 (S$188) and US$200 in tips a night during festive periods, on top of their hourly wage.

He says: "Being a server is not looked down upon or considered taboo. It is definitely not as taboo in the US as it is here."

Over there, service staff work hard because "everyone hustles for tips", he says.

The Restaurant Association of Singapore has looked into tipping culture, but says it is "naive to think that it will automatically solve Singapore's unique manpower problem".

TungLok's Mr Tjioe, who is also the president of the association, adds: "What about Japan or Korea, which have not adopted a tipping culture? Why is their service just as good? We can only conclude that service is not just an attitude - it is a culture not simply motivated by just tips."

The industry has seen a need for more training to keep up with the pace of Singapore's growing F&B scene.

Aside from hospitality schools such as Shatec and ones that offer hospitality related courses such as Temasek Polytechnic, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency has been working closely with its continuing education and training centres, At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy and the Institute of Technical Education, to provide F&B-related Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programmes.

Its courses include a WSQ certificate and diploma in F&B service. Since the launch of F&B WSQ framework in 2006, more than 120,000 individuals and 3,000 companies have benefited from the programme, which also includes courses that span F&B operations and bartending to culinary arts.
ITE, for example, started its National ITE Certification course in food and beverage operations in 2006. It has an intake of 120 students a year. As of last year, more than 80 per cent of graduates are working in a F&B-related jobs.

In the end, the solution seems to be getting people to change their mindset.

Potential workers in the industry need to think of waiting tables as a viable career with prospects and diners need to think of servers as professionals.

Mrs Goh-Choi Hoi San, 47, course manager of Temasek Polytechnic's diploma in hospitality and tourism management, says: "We have to educate both the young and the old that this can be a professional career and the person who serves us can engage us in an intelligent conversation."

***
Seeing diners happy gives him joy

 

Published on Aug 19, 2012

 

Who: Shawn Sitoh (right), 25,
waiter and management trainee at the Spa Esprit Group's Skinny Pizza, Raffles City

Shatec hotel management graduate Shawn Sitoh has been waiting tables at Skinny Pizza for almost two years and is still at it. In fact, he plans to make a career out of it. Ask him about his progression plan and he says: "I hope to climb to management level."

With hard work and the right attitude, he might just get there soon.

This is his first job and he is sticking to it, despite the demands of the job.

He is usually on his feet about eight hours a day, but there are days, especially during peak periods such as weekends, when he works about 12 hours a day. "It can get a bit tiring but after a while, you get used to it and you become more seasoned," he says. "It becomes an everyday thing, you don't feel it anymore."

He earns about $2,000 a month.

As a child, he was intrigued by the food and beverage service industry although his family is not in the business. His father is a freelance driver and his mother a senior secretary. His older brother works in IT.

But Mr Sitoh wanted to find out what went on behind the scenes and understand how restaurants function. This stemmed from his fascination with how food and service at banquets were often executed flawlessly.

He hopes that when he gets to management level, he will be able to impart knowledge to new and younger workers in the industry and inspire them.

He says: "I like to see diners enjoying themselves. And when they appreciate good service, it makes me feel I have achieved something."

  

***

She treats customers like friends

Published on Aug 19, 2012

 

Who: Catherine Lian (right), 53, sales and events manager at Chinese restaurant Peach Garden
The former pub owner saw the restaurant industry as a good opportunity to embark on a second career after she and her husband closed their bar six years ago.

The lease had ended, and the couple, who have three children aged 21 to 28, decided to start different careers.

While her husband went into car sales, she joined the Chinese restaurant group as a captain in 2006. Back then, her role involved everything from taking reservations over the telephone to serving food.

Ms Lian, who has a friendly disposition, rose to become assistant manager before taking on her current role as sales and events manager. Her pay has also more than doubled.

She says: "I like serving customers. When they are happy, it means that I have done a good job. They make you feel appreciated."

She adds that she derives satisfaction from the joy customers receive from interacting with her. The key, she says, is to treat customers like friends. "Make them feel as if they are stepping into your home."

The hours may be long - she works from 10am to after 10pm at times - but she says she does not feel tired.

These days, she oversees events such as weddings, but still waits tables and serves food to customers because she enjoys it.

She says: "This will be my job until I retire."