IMPROVING CONDITIONS FOR FOREIGN WORKERS IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SINGAPORE 000139

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INL/HSTC
LABOR FOR ILAB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KCRM ELAB KWMN SN
SUBJECT: IMPROVING CONDITIONS FOR FOREIGN WORKERS IN
SINGAPORE

REF: A. SINGAPORE 3468

B. SINGAPORE 3250

C. SINGAPORE 3115

Summary
--------------


1. (U) Singaporean civil society over the past year has
become increasingly vocal in publicly advocating better
treatment of foreign workers in Singapore. While the
Singapore government has fairly tight labor regulations to
protect foreign workers from abuse and exploitation, some
workers, particularly among the unskilled "work permit
holders," continue to face problems. Local media outlets,
ordinary citizens, and private industry are actively debating
how Singapore should regulate its foreign community and
protect all residents from exploitation and abuse. End
summary.

Filling in the Gaps
--------------


2. (U) Singapore relies heavily on "foreign talent" to fill
in the gaps in its labor force -- in industries from
construction to biotechnology -- and is currently home to
about 620,000 foreign workers from countries such as India,
the Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and China. A
declining birth rate and economic expansion plans mean that
large scale immigration will likely continue; some analysts
even have advocated encouraging immigration to double the
current population to eight million. Approximately 540,000
of the foreign workers currently in Singapore are unskilled
or semi-skilled workers holding a two-year work permit to
labor in industries such as construction or domestic work;
the rest are skilled workers staying in Singapore on an
Employment Pass or "S Pass."


3. (U) There are some significant differences to how the
classes of foreign workers are regulated. Generally,
Employment and S Pass holders may bring their dependents to
Singapore with them; Work Permit holders may not. Employers
of Employment and S Pass holders are not responsible for
their room, board, and medical care; employers of Work Permit
holders are. The Employment Act that regulates working
conditions and compensation covers most Singaporean and
foreign workers; it does not cover seamen, maids, and persons
holding managerial and executive positions. The Employment
of Foreign Workers Act covers all foreign workers. It
specifies how and when foreign workers may be employed, sets
out penalties for employers and employees violating these
conditions, and gives the Ministry of Manpower the authority
to set requirements for the payment, housing, and medical
care of foreign workers.

Domestic workers
--------------


4. (U) Singapore's 150,000 foreign domestic workers (FDWs)
face the most serious labor problems. The GOS has put
substantial effort into combating abuse and exploitation of
maids, and substantiated abuse cases have dropped by more
than 60 percent over the past 8 years. Despite the progress,
cases continue to emerge -- for example, a local housewife
was recently charged with 80 counts of abuse. Singapore's
civil society is taking up the foreign workers' cause: at
least two NGOs have been created in the last eighteen months
specifically to address foreign workers rights, and private
citizens and established advocacy groups have become
increasingly vocal in pressing the government to introduce
greater legal rights and protections for foreign domestic
workers.


5. (SBU) The local media highlight the plight of maids in
Singapore every few days, and new government measures are
widely discussed on local blogs, online forums and the
write-in pages of the local newspapers. In the weeks since
Human Rights Watch (HRW) published the scathing report on
FDWs that prompted a strong public GOS reaction (ref A),
Singaporeans have debated the merits of the report
extensively in these forums. While noting that the HRW
report may not be "absolutely correct," most commentaries
acknowledged that maids are vulnerable to abuse here, and

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called on the government and the community to take a closer
look at the issues the report raised. One Straits Times
senior writer wrote that Singaporeans' failure to confront
the wrong that is being done is "a glaring fault in our
national character." Privately, Ministry of Manpower
officials have told us that the Human Rights Watch report was
"useful" and highlighted some issues that Singapore needs to
address.


6. (U) Private industry is making efforts to help protect
domestic workers -- the Association of Employment Agencies in
Singapore (AEAS) has publicly called for better treatment and
regulation of maids, and has increased its own efforts to
supervise the industry. For example, both AEAS and the other
agency that accredits employment agencies, the Consumers
Association of Singapore (CASE),now require accredited
employment agencies to have a standard contract with a
mandated monthly rest day. (Note: An agency must be
accredited to obtain a license to operate.) In response to
stricter guidance from the accrediting organizations,
employment agencies appear to have stepped up efforts to
police themselves by monitoring maids' welfare. In one
recent case, an employment agency in May reported one of its
clients to the police when it discovered she was pimping for
her maid. The employer was convicted, received a hefty fine,
and may forfeit her flat. Another employment agency has
responded to reports of ill-treatment or neglect at
Indonesian "training" centers by opening its own training
facility in Batam. Singtel announced it will now print the
Ministry of Manpower's FDW crisis hotline numbers and
information on maids' rights on its prepaid calling cards.


7. (U) The government continues to modify its regulations and
programs dedicated to ensuring domestic workers' welfare as
issues arise. For example, it has imposed more specific
rules on when employers must pay their employees, and
increased oversight of employment agencies. On December 27,
the Ministry of Manpower announced that it was seeking
subsidiary legislation to the Employment Agencies Act that
will allow it to take swifter and faster action against
errant employment agencies -- MOM will be able to compound
minor offenses and fine agencies up to SGD 2,000 without
taking them to court. It will also implement a demerit
system, effective February 1st, under which breaches of the
Employment Agencies Act will earn between 3 and 12 demerits;
an agency that earns 12 demerits in a calendar year will
immediately lose its license. MOM will maintain list of all
1,200 Employment agencies and their current tally of demerits
on its website, allowing potential employers to check up on
agencies and increasing the impact of punishment for
infractions by publicly shaming offenders.


8. (U) The Singapore government is also strictly enforcing
its regulations. The Ministry of Manpower has revoked the
licenses of at least six employment agencies so far this year
for failing to adhere to Singapore's requirements for
recruiting and employing maids, and at least 13 are facing
prosecution for violating government regulations. At a
recent International Migrant Workers' Day event, a well-known
local advocate for foreign workers credited the Ministry of
Manpower with making a sincere and strong effort to combat
abuse of foreign workers.

Construction and Blue Collar Workers
--------------


7. (U) Blue collar foreign workers have had far fewer
problems than their domestic worker counterparts -- probably
due largely to greater regulation and less isolated working
conditions -- but have also begun to attract the attention of
groups and citizens promoting more rights and better care for
foreign workers. Although Singapore has very specific
regulations governing workplace safety, living conditions,
and medical care that foreign workers are entitled to, a
number of high-profile construction accidents and scandals
have prompted strong responses from local citizens. Such
cases are reported and commented on extensively in the local
media. In one instance, media reports that a local
construction company was locking workers in their dormitory
prompted a Member of Parliament to "raid" the dorm, exposing
the substandard living conditions within. The National Trade
Unions Congress (the national federation of labor unions) has

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set up a Migrant Workers' Forum, headed by a ruling party MP,
which is pressing the government to ensure that all foreign
workers in Singapore are treated fairly.

Comment
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8. (SBU) Calls for better treatment and greater legal
protection for foreign workers are at least in part in
recognition of the need to continue to attract blue collar
and white collar workers to Singapore. Some of the public
concern may also arise from embarrassment at the "ugly
Singaporean" who does not live up to Singapore's image as a
law-abiding, first-world society. We anticipate that civil
society leaders will continue to work within the system and
press for improved protection for foreign workers.
HERBOLD