News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
In carefully couched language, the Sunday Times told the government that it's all very well to enhance penalties and add new offences to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, but unless there is enforcement, what difference will it make? Passing it will be the easy part. But the gap between principle and practice is wide.
The Straits Times' editorial of Saturday 18 August 2012 spoke up for the amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Noting that when employers get away with circumventing the rules and thus pay less than the true cost of hiring foreign workers, it is "at the expense of Singaporean job-seekers." The new laws, it
Amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) were tabled before Parliament on Monday, 13 August 2012 by Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-jin. It is likely that debate and passage will take place about a month later. Transient Workers Count Too welcomes most of the proposed amendments; they represent important steps in the right
A full-page feature in the Sunday Times, 12 August 2012, on the plight of foreign workers was timed to precede the first reading of amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act in Parliament the Monday after. Much of the feature revolved around a study conducted by Transient Workers Count Too on payments and returns
Cook Al-Azhar Mohamed Yusoff, 20, and bartender Sayed Muhammad Nassier Sayed Mohd Sidek, 21, were sentenced to seven and eight-and-a-half years' jail respectively for robbing and severely assaulting two foreign workers. Nassier had a longer jail term because of drug-taking. Both were also given 24 strokes of the cane. The two robbers kicked and punched
The New Paper carried a double-page spread on three cases of workers needing cranioplasty. The main story was about Majibar Hakim whose employer "would not pay for the surgery" said the article, though the reporter added that this could not be verified with the employer directly. It also noted that "A spokesman for the Ministry
The New Paper reported, on 4 August 2012, that a total of $68 million was awarded in compensation for permanent incapacity and death in 2011. It did not provide any split between froeign and local workers, nor did it say how much claimants actually received. Very often, in TWC2's experience, workers received less than the
This is in reference to the conviction of Tay Kok Eng for dumping a badly injured worker on the sidewalk. See news snippet: Employer pleads guilty to leaving worker to die by roadside. It's likely that the employer in this case left the worker assuming he would die and would not be able to identify
Toh E-Yeong, 40, was fined $4,170 on 31 July 2012 for a series of charges relating to non-payment of salaries to two foreign domestic workers. The New Paper reported on 2 August 2012 that he owed Ms Jocelyn Quiaoit Manglal-Lan $1,2265.50 in unpaid salaries for a seven-month period September 2010 to May 2011. He owed
Tay Kok Eng. Photo credit: Straits Times Employer Tay Kok Eng, 56, admitted to a court that he dumped a severely injured worker on the roadside where the man eventually died. He did this despite two doctors having earlier advised Tay to take the worker Chelladurai Lenin, 47, to a hospital. The court
