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Settling-in Programme to replace English language test in mid-2012 for foreign domestic workers
Starting in mid-2012, foreign workers taking on domestic work in Singapore will have to undergo a course known as the Settling-in Programme (SIP), announced Minister of State for Manpower, Tan Chuan-jin. The ministry's press release on this matter can be found here. The SIP will incorporate the existing Safety Awareness
Finding love in a foreign land
The above was the headline for a feature story carried in the Sunday Times, 4 December 2011, about romantic relationships between foreign workers in Singapore. The newspaper's reporters trawled Lucky Plaza and Little India over two Sundays and reported that "foreign men and women holding hands were a common sight."
Jailing bosses who ill-treat foreign workers is good, but do more to help the victims
December 1, 2011 For immediate release Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) welcomes the sentencing guidelines laid out by Justice V K Rajah in his written decision issued last week in Lee Chiang Theng vs Public Prosecutor. Justice Rajah said that "employers who persistently fail to discharge their legal responsibilities towards
Four week prison sentence an inadequate penalty — Russell Heng
In response to Straits Times' editorial following remarks by Justice V K Rajah dismissing the appeal of Lee Chiang Theng who had mistreated over 600 migrant workers, TWC2 president Russell Heng sent this letter to the newspaper editors on November 30, 2011: --- Dear Straits Times, I welcome your editorial
MOM ‘belittles’ foreign workers, says Jolovan Wham on TOC
In a commentary published by socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC), Jolovan Wham criticised the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) ineffectual moves with respect to abuses committed by repatriation companies. Link to article. It is not clear however, whether Wham was writing in his personal capacity or as Executive Director of
New bank scheme for Indonesian maids
The Indonesian government is launching a scheme to help Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore with salaries during their first few months here. The scheme, known as People Business Credit for Indonesian Migrant Workers, will be managed by Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and overseen by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs
Straits Times editorial: Hit these labour abusers hard
The Straits Times carried an editorial on November 29, 2011, following the Court of Appeal's decision in the case of Lee Chiang Theng vs Public Prosecutor, as reported here (Judge: Bosses who ill-treat workers will go to jail).. This is the editorial in full: Hit these labour abusers hard MIGRANT
Judge: Bosses who ill-treat foreign workers will go to jail
Dismissing an appeal against a jail sentence imposed by a District Court, Judge of Appeal Justice V K Rajah said that employers who fail to pay their foreign workers on time or house them in acceptable quarters can expect to spend time in jail. Lee Chiang Theng now has to
Many workers ‘missing’ because repatriation agents sent after them
Letter to the Editor, Straits Times November 21, 2011 The article "Wanted Posters for Missing Foreign Workers" mentions workers who disappear just before the expiry of their work permit, suggesting that they would prefer to remain in Singapore to work illegally. It's too simplistic to assume that every report of
Average of 20 workers go missing each month
Straits Times, November 21, 2011 : Fewer than 250 foreign workers went missing each year between 2008 and last year, which worked out to an average of about 20 workers a month. Most were eventually found and repatriated, said a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman, who added that not all