The Ministry of Manpower invited public responses to a consultation paper re amendments to the Employment Act. The closing date was 11 January 2013. Transient Workers Count Too submitted a list of proposals. Click here to see our letter in pdf format.

Our letter touches on several points important to migrant workers:

  1. We urge inclusion of domestic workers in the ambit of the Employment Act;
  2. Provisions for termination should take greater account of wrongful dismissal;
  3. Salary deductions should be both informed in advance of contract and detailed in itemised payslips;
  4. Loans and advances: Given the ingenuity with which employers have hidden illicit transactions in the past, we urge effective enforcement;
  5. On rest days, hours of work etc, so say that records should be “readily accessible” is insufficient, because a low-wage employee lays himself open to victimisation the moment he asks to examine the records; likewise itemised payslips shouldn’t be made available ‘on request’ but should be mandatory, and workers salaries should be paid into bank accounts in workers’ names (not joint accounts);
  6. Annual leave should be properly recorded;
  7. Retrenchment benefits should be payable after one year’s employment;
  8. There should be a window period of one year for lodging complaints regarding unpaid or underpaid salaries;
  9. Provisions against wrongful detention of employees should be stiffened up.

TWC2 hopes that MOM will adopt our proposals.