Firstpage

My First Page

Created by Eric Koh

Definitions and Scope

Target Population: Distressed Migrant Workers

The foreign workforce in Singapore was 1,387,300 in 2015 [1]. Out of these, there are 326,000 semi-skilled migrant workers in the construction industry. The target population of interest is not all low wage migrant workers, but distressed migrant workers who have been unfairly treated by employers or require some form of health care or social support. The size of this specific group is therefore smaller but still substantial.

Indicative Size of the Problem

The number of work injury compensation awarded in 2014 was 14,733 cases, however this does not indicate what proportion are foreign workers.

[Stats on applications and unsuccessful cases will give better sense of relevant clients of HealthServe?]

A survey [2] by TWC2 estimates that a third of male foreign workers are not paid their dues. Extrapolating to the larger universe of foreign Work Permit holders, they estimate that about 140,000 may not be correctly paid.

Migrant Worker Needs

Prevention, Screening & Detection

Need to prevent exploitation or human trafficking of foreign workers at source country

Fraud, misrepresentation (e.g. contract substitution) and high fees charged by agencies lead workers to accept undesirable terms of employment

Need for maltreated foreign workers to be identified and access means of redress

Maltreated migrant workers may not seek help from service providers because of the fear of repatriation.

[Knowledge gap: unclear what the extent and effectiveness of outreach efforts of service providers, and whether substantial numbers are afraid of coming forth for help]

Public Awareness

Need for public to understand/respect the diversity of foreign worker populations, circumstances they face, and the value they bring to Singapore

There is combination of large campaigns to the general public (e.g. International Migrants Day) and more intense efforts targeted at specific groups (e.g. medical students) but social prejudice is still likely to be prevalent

[Knowledge gap: unclear about level of public prejudice, any studies? Or news reports]

Need for migrant workers to understand their employment rights and services they can access

While MOM provides such information, these may not reach migrant workers who are not internet savvy. On the other hand, VWO information sessions are more understandable, but may not have the reach. [Knowledge gap: To what extent do migrant workers understand their rights, know where and who they can seek help from?]

Need for employers to understand the rights of their foreign workforce

[Knowledge gap: Do employers understand rights adequately but are ignoring them? Or are employers ill-informed and inadvertently violating such rights?]

Main Needs

Need for adequate & affordable nutrition

Food may be low in nutritional content and even unsafe, especially when caterers (some unlicensed) prepare and deliver lunch together with breakfast in order to save costs.

[Knowledge gap: proportion of workers who are undernourished; caterers who are unlicensed or do not follow NEA guidelines]

Need for clean, safe and affordable housing

With the passing of the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act (FEDA) in 2015, licensed dormitories that house more than 1000 are assured of basic standards. However, smaller and illegal dormitories have unsafe, overcrowded or unhygienic conditions and are likely to be prevalent [Knowledge gap: proportion of foreign workforce housed in larger dorms under FEDA and those in smaller or illegal dorms]

Need for safe and secure workplace

The rate of workplace injuries have remained stable, but the absolute numbers have increased due to rise in size of the foreign workforce. There are 2915 cases alone in construction industry in 2015.

[Knowledge gap: Is MOM and employers taking adequate precautions to ensure workplace safety?]

Need for timely & adequate medical treatment when injured, whether sustained at workplace or not

[Knowledge gap: -WICA changes since Jan 2016 better? In what way? -Indicative sense of how many employers who refuse to pay for medical treatment?]

Need for fair compensation by employers

TWC2 estimates that a third of male foreign workers have unauthorised salary deductions

Workplace Injury compensations…

[Knowledge gap: Injury compensations via WICA adequate? In terms of amount of compensation and timeliness? Emergency shelter, legal help provided while in the process adequate?]

Need for social integration & community belonging

[Knowledge gap: What social activities and what are the spaces that allow for these? Adequate?]