SINGAPORE — To “discourage” errant employment agents, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) is seeking standard employment contracts that outline specific service agreements and employment terms. The advocacy group is also calling for the granting of Change of Employer status for “deserving cases” so that workers can continue working while their disputes are being resolved.

And during the resolution process, the centre now wants to have a greater say, as equal partners with the authorities, from the point of investigation until closure.

These are among the key priorities the MWC will be aggressively advocating this year, said Chairman Yeo Guat Kwang yesterday.

Pointing out that model employment contracts are already available for foreign domestic workers, Mr Yeo said extending this to all migrant workers, in general, will discourage malpractices by errant employment agents, thus offering workers better protection and fairer terms of employment.

He also repeated a call to make skills certification a requirement when renewing work permits, even as the foreign labour tap is being tightened, to raise the quality of foreign workers here.

Mr Yeo was speaking at the opening of the MWC’s new headquarters at Serangoon Road, which is double the size of its former office in Rangoon Road.

The 3,400 sq ft three-storey shophouse has an emergency shelter that can house up to eight workers, counselling rooms and recreational facilities.

As part of the services offered by the centre, the MWC will launch a 24-hour hotline for foreign workers in March. Next month, the centre will also set up a volunteer body, called the MWC Kakis, comprising volunteers from the public, after receiving many offers of help from locals and foreigners, said Mr Yeo.

NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say, who was the guest of honour, stressed the need to improve the welfare of Singapore’s 1.3 million migrant workers and upgrade their skills.

“When talking about using (and) treating every worker better, we must include our migrant workers because (they) make up one-third of our workforce today. So if we do not extend this concept to our migrant workers, then our target of achieving higher growth in terms of productivity and slowing the growth of manpower will not truly succeed,” said Mr Lim.

With amendments to the Employment Act coming into effect in April, Mr Yeo, who is also Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC, told reporters he expects to see more migrant workers coming to the MWC for assistance in the short term, putting to good use the larger headquarters.

“With more awareness and the Act covering (workers with salaries) up to S$4,500, I think we will see (not just) more of those holding work permits; those with S Pass or Employment Pass may come to us as well,” he said.

The MWC — a tie-up between the labour movement and the Singapore National Employers Federation — has helped a growing number of migrant workers on issues such as housing, food and salary disputes over the years, handling 1,500 cases in 2011, 2,500 in 2012 and 3,500 last year.

Revealing that most of the disputes it deals with are related to injury-compensation claims or salary, Mr Yeo reiterated the labour movement’s calls for mandatory payslips to be issued, adding that he hopes to see such a scheme in place in roughly a year or so.

The Manpower Ministry had announced earlier this year that a ruling on compulsory itemised payslips could take effect within the next two years.

Said Mr Yeo: “While the resolution rate (for such disputes) is quite high, it always drags on for too long because the workers don’t have the evidence — a salary slip. If you are paying a salary, I don’t see why you can’t give a record of it.

“It’s not ideal, not tolerable (and) we should try to resolve this as soon as possible.”