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Go beyond COI’s recommendations to better protect foreign workers: HOME

SINGAPORE — The Republic needs to go beyond the recommendations laid out by the Committee of Inquiry (COI) that looked into the Little India riot if it wants to fully realise the rights of foreign workers, said the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) yesterday.

Large numbers of foreign workers continue to live in factory converted dormitories and temporary work site facilities that ‘are often cramped and unhygienic’. TODAY FILE PHOTO

Large numbers of foreign workers continue to live in factory converted dormitories and temporary work site facilities that ‘are often cramped and unhygienic’. TODAY FILE PHOTO

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SINGAPORE — The Republic needs to go beyond the recommendations laid out by the Committee of Inquiry (COI) that looked into the Little India riot if it wants to fully realise the rights of foreign workers, said the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) yesterday.

Responding to the COI report released on Monday, HOME said it welcomed the acknowledgement by the COI of the important role foreign workers play in Singapore.

“However, for their contributions to be properly appreciated and acknowledged, they should be given adequate protection so they are not abused and exploited,” the group’s executive director Jolovan Wham said.

For example, although the report said housing available to foreign workers in Singapore ranks well in the world, this assessment is only true of purpose-built foreign worker dormitories, he said.

Large numbers of workers continue to live in cargo containers, factory converted dormitories, shophouses, flats and temporary work site facilities.

“These places are often cramped, unhygienic and full of pests,” said Mr Wham.

He also said the COI’s finding that every foreign worker it spoke to “testified emphatically that they were happy” does not take into consideration the fact that workers may have given “socially desirable answers” for fear of negative repercussions.

As for high debts incurred by foreign workers due to heavy recruitment fees, Mr Wham said Singapore should only approve the work permits of workers who have gone through legal recruitment channels in countries of origin.

Mr Wham added that hefty recruitment fees are often remitted to Singapore as kickbacks and more oversight of this is needed, since the problem does not reside only in the country of origin.

The organisation welcomed the COI’s recommendation of annual wage increments for workers, but felt this would not be effective without legislation or a change in attitudes among employers.

“Moreover, current policies such as high foreign worker levies are a disincentive for employers to increase their wages,” Mr Wham said. The National Wages Council could explicitly include foreign workers in its annual wage guidelines to send a strong signal to employers, he suggested.

As for the recommendation that foreign workers be educated about their rights, Mr Wham said that policies and laws, which make it difficult to claim those rights, should also be changed.

“For example, the unilateral right of an employer to cancel work permits needs to be curbed and the worker’s right to switch employers freely has to be guaranteed. Without these changes, workers will remain reluctant to file cases of abuse,” he said.

HOME also called for more independent representation of workers by unions to better promote their interests, noting that only 11 per cent of all foreign workers are unionised.

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