Special passes may be issued to those with work troubles

THE task of housing them may have made headlines as of late, but another set of problems surrounding foreign workers came to the fore yesterday in Parliament.

Some workers come to Singapore only to find that no jobs — and hence, no pay — had been arranged for them. Others find their work permits terminated early by employers, thereby losing their chance to stay and pay off the heavy debts they incurred to come here.

When things go wrong for foreign workers, can Singapore do more to protect them? Members of Parliament wanted to know.

In response to these queries, Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said “the vast majority” of foreign workers here “have worked and are being paid their salaries”.

Those seeking help from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for salary arrears, in particular, accounted for less than 0.2 per cent of foreign workers, on average, he said

Foreign workers who arrive to find that there is no work for them, meanwhile, comprise a “very small number”, going by the incidence of illegal deployment last year — less than 0.05 per cent of foreign workers, said Mr Gan, who added that the work pass application procedure wasdesigned to address this issue.

“For example, construction and marine companies need to show documentary proof that they have ongoing projects before work permits are issued to them,” he said.

But what about employers who terminate work permits of employees who complain about them? “In such instances, MOM may allow these workers to change their employers and continue to work here on a case-by-case basis, if they have not committed any offence,” said Mr Gan.

Workers assisting MOM in investigations will be issued special passes and can seek employment under the Temporary Jobs scheme. “In some cases, it may be in the best interests for workers to return to their home countries if there is no suitable work for them,” he said.

Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong pointed out, though, that workers desperately want to stay to pay off the debts they incurred to travel here. “Does the Ministry intend tore-look the industry structure ... and see if (it) can be better structured so that the workers are not saddled with very high debts before they start work?” he asked.

According to Mr Gan, these debts are often incurred in the workers’ home countries, outside of Singapore’s jurisdiction. “What we can do is work with foreign missions here to share our information, so that they can ... prevent manipulation and exploitation of their own workers,” he said.

MP Baey Yam Keng (Tanjong Pagar GRC) was concerned that employers who “sub-let” foreign workers to other businesses would take work away from Singaporean contract workers, who cost more.

Mr Gan replied that some flexibility was allowed to subcontract workers, for instance, the construction sector, which had fluctuating demand. “But in manufacturing and services, for example, the employers have to employ their foreign workers in the job specified in the work permit, so it’s quite clear and specific.”

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