The hannan grinning Hyaena came up with yet another pack of lies in the Telegraph
The Left's hatred of Singapore is based on anti-capitalist dogma, not evidence
DANIEL HANNAN
Look I know the man is an idiot, but surely even he can't believe that garbage
Here for instance is how they treat migrant workers
https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/gia/article/foreign-domestic-workers
In April 2019,
two construction firm directors were fined for housing foreign workers in an overcrowded illegal dormitory in Singapore. 17 rooms with 116 bed spaces were discovered in the premises, which meant that each occupant had roughly 2.57 square metres of space for themselves. The firm saved an estimated S$27,230 to S$84,980, but at the expense of the well-being of the workers who had to live in these appalling conditions.
Sadly, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred and is unlikely to be the last. There are approximately
534,300 construction workers and Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) in Singapore, making up almost 10% of the population. Yet they are amongst the most marginalised groups in society and tend to be treated badly.
Thanks to NGOs such as the
Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics and
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), more foreign workers are able to come forward about the issues they face. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of cases come to light on the struggles they face.
Migrant workers are essential to the economy. Yet, how much do we really know about their lives in Singapore?
Arriving in debt: The beginning of a vicious cycle
Coming to Singapore is not easy. Bangladeshi construction workers typically pay up to $20000 to an agent in order to get a job here. It is therefore not surprising that in many instances, workers and FDWs may have to borrow money to come here in the first place. And worse, they are often not fully compensated for the work they do, so repaying this debt is hard. The average worker’s salary may be declared as S$1,200, but in reality, it is closer to as little as
$18 a day, as their employers make deductions to pay for levies and housing. To get more overtime pay, most of them also work 12-hour days with only one or two days off a month.
Their initial debt makes them vulnerable to moneylenders who in turn threaten their families in order to receive the money owed to them. This indebtedness forces workers to keep silent about issues concerning their welfare so that they will not be at risk of losing their jobs.
The struggles faced by immigrant workers in Singapore
Migrant Workers
One of the biggest risks that migrant workers in the construction sector face is the possibility of getting injured. If a worker gets injured and is granted a long medical leave, he becomes a liability in an industry that relies on cheap labour. The risk of getting fired if one is unable to work for too long therefore adds pressure to downplay injuries.
Additionally, employers themselves occasionally attempt to cover up the extent of a worker’s injury. The Work Injury Compensation Act allows workers to take a certain number of days of medical leave in a year, while still receiving their salary. Under Ministry of Manpower (MOM) regulations, if a worker is hospitalised for more than 24 hours or receives more than three days of medical leave for an injury, the incident has to be reported to the ministry. In cases of more severe injuries, the worker will be assessed for any possible permanent incapacities, in which case a larger compensation will be awarded to him. This has to be paid by the employer.
Oftentimes, this results in workers being given insufficient days off for medical injuries. Those who have
dared come forward have shared stories of how private practitioners refuse to give adequate medical leave to workers, despite some of their injuries being severe. Compensation for their injuries is also not guaranteed, despite being promised they would and it being part of the law.
In April, a
doctor was suspended for providing insufficient sick leave for an injured worker. The incident came to light because the worker approached HOME for help with wage compensation issues. In worst case scenarios, injured workers are forced to leave when their Work Permits expire, before their compensation claims are resolved.
Another issue that has recently come to light is the
inadequate food being provided to workers. With salaries that are already so low, catering tends to be the cheapest option; food is delivered to them at their worksites or dormitories. In most instances, the employers themselves arrange for the catering. A typical meal tends to be two or three pieces of chapati (flat bread), with a side of lentils, or curry. Alternatively, workers receive white rice and curry, with one portion of meat and vegetables each.
To save on costs, caterers tend to deliver both breakfast and lunch at once. This is despite the
requirement for time-stamps on pre-packed and catered meals, which ensures that the food is consumed within four hours of cooking. As a result, food is often stale by the time it’s meant to be eaten, and a large amount is wasted as it is inedible. Keeping in mind that their jobs are usually physically demanding, insufficient food can be highly detrimental to a worker’s health.
Foreign Domestic Workers
FDWs also face their fair share of issues when moving to Singapore. An FDW typically receives training in the relevant domestic chores that she has to perform, and these training costs are then deducted from her salary to pay the agencies. This means that an FDW can go up to 6 months without actually receiving a salary. Similar to other migrant workers, many FDWs commonly put up with unsatisfactory working conditions due to the debts that they owe.
According to HOME, the three most common issues for FDWs are being overworked, suffering verbal abuse, and salary disputes. Indeed there have been an unsettling number of cases recently of employers abusing their domestic helpers. These
instances range from starving their helpers, to actual physical abuse.
Additionally, there is no mechanism in place for an FDW to receive an increment in her salary, unless her employer offers.
It is challenging to monitor and regulate how employers treat their helpers as everything occurs within the privacy of the home. It can be difficult to ascertain whether helpers are being overworked, treated humanely, or given adequate days off. There have also been reported instances where helpers’ passports are withheld, and they are made to work punishing hours to cater to multiple members of the family in one household.
In some of the cases, helpers were not allowed access to handphones. Conditions akin to forced labour and trafficking aside, this also means that they are unable to access information on what avenues are available for them to seek help. For every FDW that manages to break away from an abusive household, it is unclear how many more are still trapped.
