A Word From John
I don’t much like having to bother about money, but it is sometimes necessary. There really are so many more important things in life, in my view, but money can help enable things to happen, like oil that allows wheels to turn and engines to operate smoothly. So it becomes an unavoidable subject.
As president of TWC2, I probably see more of what we are doing as a society than any other member. Our activities may not be headline-grabbing, but they are helping to bring about gradual changes in social attitudes and practices towards migrant workers in Singapore. Sometimes it seems like a case of ‘two steps forward, one step back’, but overall, I see slow progress being made towards a better deal for migrant workers and a fairer relationship between workers and employers. Through our helpline, and through the considerate and sometimes courageous initiatives of members, we help to make very real differences for the better to the lives of numerous individuals. TWC2 really is doing worthwhile work.
We rely heavily on volunteer help, but we do need money to sustain what we’re doing, as well as to develop resources such as educational and publicity materials. This year, we’ll probably just about manage to pay our way with a budget of $80,000, and we’d hoped to raise nearly double that for next year, to allow more scope for developing TWC2 activities and meet increased bills. The Lee Foundation has generously given us $50,000 towards next year’s budget, but otherwise, we have so far had little success with the appeals that we have sent out.
We really need to raise another $50,000 to see us through to the end of 2008. That will allow us to cover the costs of our helpline, an office, two salaried staff members, and leave some small scope for backing research and other projects. We have mentioned efforts made in the past by supporters and members to raise money, and we appeal to any member who can help now with fundraising activities, or donate time or money to help TWC2 to offer your support. You can be certain that we will make every dollar and every cent count towards the goals that we set ourselves as a society.
Presentation to SHRI on New Work Pass Policies
The Ministry of Manpower presented its new work pass policies at a dialogue with the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) held on 26th June 2007 in Tekka Mall.
Assistant Manager, Mr. Lim Shyang Zheng from the Work Pass Division, made a presentation on the Work Permit Online (WPOL) and Employment Pass Online (EPOL) services . Employers can now use these online services to check on the quota requirement for S Pass applications. Employment Pass applications can also now be submitted by a third party on behalf on an employer. In addition, Mr Lim also explained the Work-Holiday Programme and the Personal Employment Pass (PEP).
The presentation also highlighted the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) which amends and replaces the Employment of Foreign Workers Act (EFWA). Generally, the change means that the issuing power of all work passes now comes under the Controller of Work Passes formerly known as the Controller of Work Permits.. The act also enhanced penalties for selected offences such as illegal employment – a maximum fine of up to $15,000 will be imposed to employers found to be guilty.
EFMA also stipulates that anyone who knows that a third party has provided false information to the work pass division and fails to inform the authorities about it will be fined up to a maximum of $5,000 or up to 6 months jail term.
Also present was Mr. Khandavel Periyasamy, Assistant Director for the Work Pass Division who attended to all queries during the Q& A session. Mr Periyasamy was previously attached to the Labour Relations Department at MOM.
TWC2’s Chair for Direct Services, Noorashikin Abdul Rahman and Helpline/Case Manager, Sha Najak were present along with Jolovan Wham, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Organisation of Migration Economics (HOME), and were able to bring up the issue of employees being blacklisted and how such information should be disclosed to workers should they decide to apply for a work-permit again in future. Mr. Periyasamy pointed out that it is not easy for employers to blacklist workers these days without reasons to do with criminality being involved and that there are security reasons behind the non-disclosure of this information. He added that employers who are keen on employing work-permit holders who have been blacklisted can do it by submitting an appeal for them.
By Noorashikin Abdul Rahman and Sha Najak
Bank Accounts for Foreign Workers?
Last October, the Ministry of Manpower announced that, as of November 1st, 2006, ‘FDWs can ask for their salaries to be paid into their bank accounts in Singapore’. This is now a condition for employers that is included in work permits – including those for employers of other foreign workers besides domestic helpers. The MOM announcement of October 2nd said that ‘FDWs who have been paid promptly by their employers can choose to keep their current arrangements.’
TWC2 welcomed this move. Agreeing with the MOM, we said in a letter to banks:
We believe that it will help to ensure that more workers are paid what they are due and on time. The existence of a bank account and bank records will also make it simpler to resolve disputes that might arise between workers and employers over payments due, and we therefore see this as being to the benefit of both employers and employees.
However, we also recognized that there would be problems. Some employers do not allow their workers to go out; some employers keep their workers’ bank books. There are also workers who do not want to have bank accounts; they may not be used to handling them, or perhaps they are determined to send all their earnings above their own subsistence level back home.
These issues need to be tackled carefully. It was because of their complexity that it was decided not to include a recommendation about a bank accounts for all domestic workers in the ‘Debt, Delays, Deductions’ report last year.
For most of those workers who do want to have a bank account here and under their own control, the main stumbling block is putting together enough money to open an account in the first place. As we said in the September-October 2006 members’ newsletter:
The minimum amount of money needed to open an account at a Singapore bank is $500. This is a serious problem for workers who generally arrive in Singapore with a burden of debt that can eat up their salaries for six months and more. After they have paid all of this off, many will feel that they must send as much as they can back to their families: how can they afford to accumulate over $500 in a bank account?
A letter was sent by TWC2’s then-president, Braema Mathi, to Singapore’s banks, referring to the MOM’s announcement and raising the question of the difficulties that we saw standing in the way of bank accounts for all migrant workers here becoming a reality. The letter said:
We consider that it would be to the advantage of the workers to have these obstacles significantly reduced, perhaps by a waiver of certain charges for a specified period, or a variation on the conditions for opening an account that would remove the necessity to find $500 at the beginning of employment in Singapore. We understand that banks are businesses and must make money, but believe that any bank that could capture a significant proportion of the accounts of the more than 300,000 foreign workers in Singapore would have cause to be pleased with the results in the long term.
I hope that you might be able to help TWC2 by answering several questions that we have; we will be putting them to the other major banks in the country too.
First of all, are you introducing any innovations in response to the MOM announcement in order to encourage employers to help their workers to open an account at your bank?
Secondly, please could you inform us what are the most favourable terms that you can offer a low-income worker?
The only bank to acknowledge the letter was UOB. No bank gave a detailed response.
The next step was for TWC2 Executive Committee member, and then Treasurer, Imran Price, to do a more direct survey of the possibilities. He visited banks and asked about their requirements for opening a local account for his (imaginary) foreign domestic worker (FDW). This was what he found:
Surprisingly, none of the large foreign banks from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines that have had a branch in Singapore for many years (such as Bank Negara Indonesia, Bangkok Bank or Philippine National Bank) are keen to open accounts for their respective citizens living in Singapore, unless they have substantial assets here. They offer remittance services and all the usual bank services through their Singapore operations, but mainly to corporate customers.
The three large Singapore banks are more focused on the retail market here but all of them have a minimum initial deposit requirement of at least S$500 and in some cases much more and charge either a flat monthly fee of fee of S$2 per month or a S$2 fee if the average monthly balance falls below S$500.
When I approached DBS about opening an account for my "FDW", they recommended a POSB Passbook Savings Account, which has the same requirements, ie. a minimum initial deposit of at least S$500 and a fee of S$2 per month if the average monthly balance falls below S$500. This is clearly not very helpful as far as most FDWs are concerned. But at least the interest on their savings would not be taxable.
POSB also offers what they call a "Save-as-you-earn" account or "SAYE" for short which does not have a minimum initial deposit requirement but has a minimum monthly fixed deposit of $20 per month if my FDW was willing to set aside at least that amount in savings each month from her earnings. As her employer, I could arrange for a monthly GIRO payment to such an account.
As you probably all know, POSB also offers "Kids Accounts" which are not subject to a minimum initial deposit or any fees but FDW's are not eligible for such an account.
Further investigation revealed that Maybank offers an Islamic banking account that requires a minimum balance of only $200.
So out of the Singaporean banks, DBS/POSB has a bit more flexibility than any of the other banks that I visited. Maybank’s terms may well appeal to some workers.
So it seems that at present, there is a policy change on bank accounts that looks like a step in the right direction, but practical measures to make the policy into something that can be implemented are still required. Local banks are unlikely to introduce changes to accommodate this policy change for their own purely commercial reasons; it would seem that an approach from the government to encourage them is needed.
ACTIVITIES
Ten-week English Course at Sri Arasakesari Temple
After some Indian workers told TWC2 that they were interested in attending some English classes, Debbie Fordyce and Vennes volunteered to handle a trial run. Debbie tells how they worked out.
Our first experiment with English lessons for male foreign workers took place from April to June. We offered a 10-week course in basic English at Sri Arasakesari Temple in Sungei Kadut. While the president of the temple committee was pleased to offer us a room (air-conditioned!) for the class, we had trouble luring a steady and committed group of students. While it might seem odd that these men would pass up a chance for free English lessons, some of their absences may be due to irregular off-days, or the need to simply enjoy that free time idling with friends and food.
We made copies of and presented the first few lessons from two English textbooks, both suitable for adults at this level. They were all keen to learn, but at times seemed more keen to provide the correct answer than to understand the activity. It could be that these students were used to a different approach to classroom learning, where they're asked to repeat and memorize. Vennes attended every class and offered a reassuring face and an explanation in Tamil where necessary.
This was a useful opportunity for us to make direct contact with these foreign workers, and make some conversation about their lives and work conditions in Singapore. One asked about how to claim compensation for asevered fingertip, several talked to us about their dedication to a World Peace movement, one asked about improving his skills to earn an S-pass, and several asked TWC2 to set up a trustworthy agency so they can avoid those that collect fees and don't deliver. These are all valuable contacts for us in understanding their situations, and a good way to spread information about TWC2.
Past events:
11th July: Resource Day 2007 at Raffles Girls School.
The theme was ‘Making a World of Difference – Can Cultural Prejudice be Overcome? John Devasahayam and John Gee went from TWC2. An exhibition, including some new display boards specially prepared to be appropriate to the day’s theme was put up, and drew a lot of attention. Free information materials went well. The speakers were Deborah Tan (RGS Principal), Sharon Lim (AWARE), John Gee and Cherian George; Tan Tarn How chaired the forum discussion at the end.
208 students and 8 teachers attended. The participating schools were:
Methodist Girls' School (Sec); Anglo-Chinese School (Independent); NUS High School; Dunman High School; Raffles Institution; Hwa Chong Institution; Raffles Girls' School (Sec).
15th July: FOCAS Launch
Volume 6 of FOCAS (Forum on Contemporary Art & Society) has a theme of ‘Regional Animalities’, but TWC2 is in there, with a short report on our participation in the M1Singapore Fringe Festival in 2006 and an advertisement on the ‘Day Off’ issue, designed by Caroline Lim.
21st July: Teaching about Migrant Workers
The Geography Teachers' Association held a discussion seminar on migration issues. The panellists were Elaine Ho, Sha Najak (Migrant Voices), Jolovan Wham (HOME), Ching Liang (teacher) and John Gee (TWC2). John Devasahayam brought along TWC2 literature. It was pleasing to see some familiar faces from past TWC2 activities among the audience.
22nd July: For Indonesian Domestic Workers
The Mujahidin Mosque, located in Queenstown, launched two classes in 2005 for a total of 35 domestic workers. It now runs 10 different courses for Indonesian domestic workers and has over 300 students. The mosque held a graduation ceremony, which many employers attended to see their workers receive their awards. Imran, Noor and John were there from TWC2. 700 of TWC2’s ‘Help’ leaflets were distributed to workers in goodie bags, 350 each in English and Bahasa Indonesia.
The courses currently on offer are: Computer (Basic and Intermediate), Cooking, English (Basic and Intermediate), Hairdressing, Islamic Learning, Quran Reading, Sewing (Basic and Intermediate).
28th-29th July: Celebrate Drama!
Migrant Voices, in co-operation with the Singapore Drama Educators Association, presented ‘Tales Within Borders: The Stories of Shah and Atin’, reflecting the experiences of migrant workers who come to Singapore. The performance, on two successive days, was in the theatre of the Asian Civilisations Museum.
One of the participants was Siti Muyasaroh, who has a new job in Indonesia but came back to keep the commitment she had made to this production. She was one of our helpline volunteers: TWC2 wishes her well in her new career.
6th August: ‘Ghosts’ at VivoCity
‘Ghosts’ is a drama-documentary based on the true story of 23 Chinese migrant workers who drowned while working in the cockle beds of Morecambe Bay, northern England in 2004. Directed by Nick Broomfield, it was filmed on location and its actors include people involved in the events shown. It movingly shows the hopes of the workers, how others take advantage of them, and how they help each other.
A special preview screening was held at Golden Village, VivoCity, after which John and Braema took part in a short discussion on the film. The British Council, GV, Migrant Voices and TWC2 sponsored the preview; proceeds from ticket sales are to be divided between Migrant Voices, TWC2 and the Morecambe Victims Fund, which will also benefit from a collection made at the end of the showing that raised $474.
12th August: Two Events at Once
The newsletter is in production while two events are being held. One is a graduation celebration at the TWC2 office for the second group of helpline volunteers, which is open to existing helpline volunteers and TWC2 members; the other is the Hello Asia! event at Fort Canning
A weekly radio programme that provides entertainment for the Filipina community in Singapore, Hello Asia! is holding a celebration that includes singing, dancing and competitions.
TWC2 has an information stand there.
(Under 'Forthcoming Events', plans for the weekend before International Migrants Day (December 18th) were discussed.)
Speaking Up
An incident experienced just minutes away from the TWC2 office prompted Braema Mathi, ex-president of TWC2 and currently head of our Research and Policy Sub-committee to write about what happened in an article that appeared in ‘Today’ on 29th June 2007.
There are times when we need to be busybodies by Braema Mathi
(See under 'In the News')
Are We Making Ourselves Clear?
Back in May, the TWC2 office received a letter from an employment agency that offered to help us to recruit foreign workers. Among the attractions offered was that we would not have to pay any agency fee (meaning it would be paid by the workers instead) and that ‘No day off can be arranged’.
Helpline Highlights
Issue: July/August 2007
This is the third issue of ‘Helpline Highlights’, a new segment introduced to our bi-monthly newsletter. This section was formed to engage members with pointers they can adopt when facing queries related to foreign workers. We hope you found this information useful so far. If you have queries, please do send them to
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and we will try our best to answer them.
In this issue, we look into a common problem faced by male foreign workers – blacklisting.
The Case
An Indonesian male worker called TWC2’s helpline to speak to our helpliner on the matter of his work permit application. The caller had queries as to the difficulties of his application as he was told that his former employer had blacklisted him.
The worker has been in Singapore on a trip sponsored by a prospective employer. After a trial session, the prospective employer was satisfied with his skills and attitude and decided to employ him full-time and apply for a work permit for him. After applying for the worker’s work permit, the prospective employer was told that the worker had been blacklisted from his previous employment hence the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is unable to issue him a fresh new work permit.
The prospective employer was baffled and was told by MOM, in order to hire this worker, he will have to appeal in with a guarantor’s letter. This, the prospective employer, who presumably is not used to such a request, did not know what he should write. He then told the worker to find out information on what needs to be on the letter.
Upon receiving the worker’s call, TWC2’s Case Manager logged onto the Work Permit Online (WPOL) found on the MOM website to check if the worker’s details are accessible or if any information on his past work permit would surface. Lo and behold, WPOL showed error messages instead. TWC2’s Case Manager then called MOM’s Work Pass Division to query on why this is so and was advised to fax in a print-out of the error message with a note.
A staff from MOM then called TWC2 to advise on the matter of the error message and confirmed that the worker is indeed blacklisted. The staff at MOM was kind enough to also answer our query on what was needed on the guarantor’s letter as specified by MOM to the worker’s prospective employer. The advice given was to include in the letter the worker’s details and also to justify why the company would like to hire the worker, as well as a promise that the company will be responsible for the worker’s conduct during his/her employment contract. The staff also added that prospective employers who are interested to hire a worker on the blacklist may appeal to obtain work-permits for such workers. If the reason for the initial blacklist is not a serious one, there is a high chance for the appeal to be approved.
TWC2’s Case Manager spoke to the employer and found that he is hesitant because he too was not sure as to why the worker is blacklisted and unable to get information on this. He had tasked the Indonesian worker to find out and get back to him. The employer was then advised as to what was needed of him to appeal for the worker.
Pointers
Employers often wonder as to why workers they wish to hire are unable to obtain a work permit when they apply for it once again however they should not be afraid to inquire for more information on this. A work permit application may be turned down for various reasons and not just because the worker is on the blacklist. For example, the company may not be allowed to hire a foreign worker because they have not satisfied the local worker-foreign worker quota stipulated by MOM. If an application for a work-permit is turned down, MOM will clarify why this is so in a letter to the employer.
We find blacklisting to be quite a common problem faced by workers especially male workers. We have received calls from workers who are puzzled as to why they have been blacklisted as they have not committed any criminal offence nor have done anything that contravenes Work Permit regulations. We have also received calls from workers complaining of employers who threaten to blacklist them if they are not compliant of work conditions although these conditions breach the terms of agreement of their employment contract. This seems to suggest that employers abuse the blacklisting process. TWC2 has made various enquiries regarding the transparency of the blacklisting process. We find that there seems to be an absent of transparency as workers are more than often unaware that they have been put on the blacklist at the point of repatriation. They will only find out when they try to secure subsequent jobs in Singapore. MOM clarifies that they only blacklist workers who have committed criminal offences and have gone against Work Permit regulations.
Employers should not be afraid to re-hire blacklisted workers should they find the skills and working relationship with the worker are satisfactory and that trust is built upon his/her performance. Workers who are “mysteriously” blacklisted can urge prospective employers to write an appeal for them to the Work Pass Division. A recommendation letter or education certificates would also help to supplement the appeal in addition to the above clarification.
