Labour

by Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) On International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we call upon the Singapore government to strengthen social support systems and access to remedies for women and girls who are survivors of violence. Migrant domestic workers are often the most at risk of physical, verbal and sexual abuse. Their vulnerability is heightened …

I refer to the article “Basic pay for security officers to go up by $300 over next 3 years, limit on overtime hours” (Straits Times, Nov 23). It states that Security officers will be paid more while working fewer overtime hours each month in future, with their basic pay going up by around $300 over the next three years, and …

The Security Tripartite Cluster (STC) has recommended to increase the wage floor of security officers starting from 2019 after reviewing the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) and overtime exemption (OTE) for the private security industry. The STC, in consultation with the tripartite partners, has recommended to increase the PWM wage floors starting from 2019, and remove OTE with effect from January …

The National Jobs Bank should disclose the statistics I refer to the article “Will the Jobs Bank really make a difference?” (Human Resources newsletter). It states that “But do senior HR practitioners here believe the Jobs Bank will make a difference? One regional HR lead believes the Jobs Bank will not “have a meaningful impact”. “It’s government lip service,” said …

by Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics Imagine paying thousands of dollars to land a job with a faraway employer you’ve never met or signed a contract with. That’s an unavoidable reality for many low wage migrant workers. Often, prior to arrival, the only assurance they have about the employer, job type and salary is their In-Principle Approval letter (IPA). The …

A High Court judge has ruled that a migrant worker should be paid the basic salary stated in the in-principle approval (IPA) letter he got before coming to Singapore and that without any other written agreement by both employer and employee, the letter was the document to follow. Justice Lee Seiu Kin made the point in written grounds for his …

Minister of Manpower (MOM) states that there is no loophole in its Employment Agency (EA) framework and the allegations stated in the story posted by The Online Citizen (TOC) on 29 September are untrue. Following a tipoff from a whistleblower, TOC reported that two employment agencies at People’s Park Centre were operated by a couple, with one of the EAs being awarded with 12 …

by Kirsten Han A little over two weeks. That was how long Nina Duwi Koriah had been in Singapore before she fell out of the third-storey window of her agent’s home following humiliating verbal abuse and mental distress. Her agent, who has been identified by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) as Noor Hayah Gulam, was fined S$50,000 on …

  On 18 September this year, Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) published a post about Listi (*not her real name), a domestic workers from Indonesia, who had 10 months, or more than $5,000 withheld by employer. She had no rest days, and her handphone usage was restricted by her employer. She told HOME that she wakes up at 5.30am …

A member of public wrote in to The Online Citizen stating the below, “Happen to know that an Employment Agency, Reliable Link Services , a firm opened by PRC specialising in getting S Passes and Employment Passes numbering about 150 for the past few years ( According to the MOM Score Card) was under Surveillance by MOM for engaging unlicensed …