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Higher minimum salaries for S-Pass; need to advertise locally for 28 days
The minimum salary for S-Pass will be raised to $2,500 per month. That for Employment Pass to $4,500/month.
Does one minister even know what another minister is doing?
Head of Covid-19 Task Force Lawrence Wong says salaries should be paid. MOM says no need to pay.
Al Jazeera: Italy’s Sikh slaves
A 25-minute film about migrant workers on Italian farms: their wages, immigration status, payments to "gang-masters", despair and suicide.
Confinement in dorms: If regulations overreach, change the regulations
MOM now says it is not their intent to give employers unfettered power over workers' movements. But why say this over social media? Why not simply correct badly drafted law?
Five questions from reporters
Recently, journalists doing follow-up stories about Covid-19 have been reaching us with similar questions. For convenience, we will put our responses here.
Government extends waiver of foreign worker levy, to taper off in 4th quarter 2020
Wkith Covid-19 restrictions continuing, foreign worker levy waivers are further extended, as are rebates. But only for certain sectors and types of employees.
Migrant bodies sacrificed on the altar of self-praise
The general community is "saved" from Covid-19 only because migrant workers are made to pay the price for us: severe confinement, never mind mental wellbeing and medical complications.
Recruitment reform — what needs to be done
A short explainer about how corrupted the recruitment system has become for migrant workers and the two key measures needed to reform the eco-system.
Covid-19 update: India and Bangladesh
Covid-19 stats from India and Bangladesh don't look good. Expect ti to remain difficult to bring workers from there. That means those who are already here should be allowed to stay.
No migrant worker expects an iron rice bowl, but much more can be done for their financial security
It's too simplistic to speak in terms of iron-clad job security, but a lot more can be done to help migrant workers with career longevity and financial security. Start with recruitment costs.