New workers arriving in Singapore will receive a booklet giving them important information about their stay and job here. Each person arriving with an In-principle Approval for a Work Permit will get a copy at Immigration.

Titled ‘A Guide for Foreign Workers’ in English, it comes in six other languages — Chinese, Thai, Tamil, Bengali and Malay/Indonesian — and is published by the Ministry of Manpower.

TWC2 believes the distribution of these booklets at the airport began about one or two months back.

There is a section on Conditions of Work Permit which gives bullet points:

  • You can work only in the occupation and for the employer specified in your Work Permit card.
  • You cannot take part in any other business or start your own business.
  • You are only allowed to reside at the address set by your employer at the start of your employment. If you are to change your address, you have to inform your employer.
  • You have to undergo a medical examination by a Singapore registered doctor. If you are certified medically unfit, you Work Permit will be revoked.
  • You must carry your original Work Permit at all times and produce it for inspection on demand by any public officer.

Further on, the section on Employer’s Obligations informs the worker that

  • Your employer shall be responsible for and bear the cost of your upkeep and maintenance. This includes medical treatment.
  • Your employer must provide safe working conditions and acceptable accommodation.
  • Your employer cannot demand or receive payment — whether monetary or in kind — as consideration for employing foreign workers. They are also not allowed to recover employment-related expenses from the foreign workers.

Other sections inform the worker how salary should be calculated and their leave entitlement.

There are sections on safety at work, Singapore laws, social behaviour and personal hygiene. A few useful telephone numbers are provided, including police, ambulance and TWC2’s hotline.

We have imaged the most important sections in various languages since they may be useful to our volunteer case officers when they want to show a worker what has been said by the Ministry of Manpower in their booklet. If the text is too small to read, zoom in.