Crack Down On Abuse Of Foreign Workers

THE BUSINESS TIMES ran this article on 7 January 2009:

IN this recession, as in downturns past, the plight of displaced workers is foremost on the minds of policymakers, with the government having come out strongly and swiftly to declare that saving Singaporeans from job losses is top priority.

Well and good. It's reassuring that, even as retrenchment and unemployment will inevitably rise this year, much is being done to try and help businesses prevent laying off staff, and cushion the impact of the economic woes on both employers and workers. But it's high time too that another key segment of the job market gets some due attention: foreign workers who are mistreated by employers.

The incidence of this misbehaviour may appear to have picked up of late, as the business climate has worsened, but in fact instances of abuse - of workers housed in appalling conditions, not paid their wages, or cheated by unscrupulous labour contractors - have been around, if not rife, for years. Workers packed together atop the back of a pick-up truck, none of them belted up, remains a common sight on Singapore roads. Last November, a cleaning firm was merely fined $20,000 for housing five foreign workers in a disused rubbish bin centre - where they not only slept but also cooked their meals - for at least six months.

Before this, the biggest fine meted out for a similar offence was only $7,500, to another cleaning company that made four workers live in a public toilet.

Another group of foreign workers were found crammed into a bug-infested dormitory.

In all, more than 1,000 companies were caught for housing workers in substandard conditions between January and November 2008 - but the vast majority got off with just a warning letter. If the penalty is not much of a deterrent, there will almost certainly be employers with no qualms about placing foreign workers just about anywhere expediently and cheaply. Then there was, of course, the fracas involving Serangoon Gardens residents who raised a huge stink over the idea of a workers' dormitory coming up in their midst.

As with all groups, there will be some black sheep, but most foreign workers come here to earn a living, not to create trouble. But going by the vehement objections of Singaporeans to having them live nearby, foreign workers are potential thieves or rapists. The concerns go beyond personal security, though, to complaints that a workers' dorm in the vicinity would lower their property value. Their solutions? House foreign workers offshore, or at least have separate access roads for them.

The Ministry of Manpower must get tough on errant, recalcitrant employers and unscrupulous agents who exploit workers and abuse the work permit system, including by, in some cases, barring them from applying for further permits altogether. As for those Singaporeans who believe foreign workers should preferably be seen only within and around their workplaces, just have all the rubbish collectors in their neighbourhood go on strike for a week, or even just a day or two.