News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
Recently, journalists doing follow-up stories about Covid-19 have been reaching us with similar questions. For convenience, we will put our responses here.
Wkith Covid-19 restrictions continuing, foreign worker levy waivers are further extended, as are rebates. But only for certain sectors and types of employees.
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.
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 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.
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.
The new law says "The employer must not allow, or cause to be allowed, the foreign employee ... to leave the dormitory ... and may grant or refuse consent..."
The term "helper" seems to be growing in popularity, but TWC2 disagrees with its use.
Improvement in housing should be only one element in a broader reforms, if we are to arrive at a more ethical relationship with migrant labour. Job restrictions, low salaries, etc, must also be addressed.
An engineer floated the concept of building mega-dormitories over the sea, each with a "small-town centre", to minimise migrant workers' entry into our downtown and Singaporean spaces. What do we say to that?
