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Nine in 10 foreign workers would recommend S’pore as place to work

SINGAPORE — Nine in 10 foreign workers are generally satisfied with working in Singapore, but there is room for improvement in areas pertaining to rights and housing, a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Manpower and Migrant Workers’ Centre showed.

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SINGAPORE — Nine in 10 foreign workers are generally satisfied with working in Singapore, but there is room for improvement in areas pertaining to rights and housing, a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Manpower and Migrant Workers’ Centre showed.

The survey results found that 85.7 per cent of 3,500 work permit holders and 93.4 per cent of 500 S Pass holders polled between March and July would recommend Singapore as a place to work, citing reasons such as good pay and working and living conditions, as well as a sense of security.

The survey also found that 74.7 per cent of work permit holders, excluding Malaysians, received their In-Principle Approval (IPA) letters in English. Just over 21 per cent of work permit holders who received them in their native languages and 4 per cent did not receive any IPA letter. The letter, which contains key information such as a worker’s occupation and basic monthly salary, must be given to the worker before he leaves for Singapore.

Compared with 2011, when a similar survey was first conducted, foreign workers are less likely to be aware of certain employment laws, such as being prohibited to work for another employer other than the one specified in their work permits, or being able to claim compensation if they suffer permanent disabilities because of work accidents. Foreign workers are also less likely to receive a physical record of salary payments.

Commenting on the results of the survey, which was released at the International Migrants Day celebrations yesterday, Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, who attended the event, pointed out that the Little India riot, which happened a year ago, had not been sparked by poor working conditions, as claimed by some international media reports. If the working conditions were that bad, the riot would have continued, he said.

“This survey ... indicates (that), actually, most of the foreign workers didn’t feel that way,” he added.

On the areas for improvement highlighted in the survey, Mr Tan said it would be mandatory from 2016 for employers to provide itemised payslips spelling out basic salary, total allowances and total deductions made, as well as providing key employment terms in writing to their workers.

“This will make sure that all workers, including foreign workers, have access to records of their salary components and (are) clear about (their) employment terms,” he added.

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