Migrant Workers In Singapore Essay

Economic Vulnerability Issues

Due to the high payment of employment agent , workers often find themselves in an economically vulnerable situation before even starting to work. Thus, most workers in Singapore are not in a position to negotiate salaries or better working or living conditions, and are afraid of speaking up for themselves when they are underpaid or exploited through long or extended working hours. Furthermore, given the language and cultural barriers, they do not understand the legal system in Singapore and are intimidated by the idea of engaging a lawyer. Migrant workers in Singapore admit to being threatened with termination of their contracts by their employers, and the withholding of salaries was being used as a threat against them.

This issue is especially prominent in the area of worker medical issues – such as when they fall sick or are injured on the job. A study from the Singapore

Repatriation companies are companies that “aid” employers in ensuring that migrant workers whose employment has been terminated are sent back to their countries of origin. Workers, who have encountered repatriation companies before, describe them with “gangster-like” behavior, violence and intimidation. The practices of repatriation companies include forcibly removing workers from their place of work or stay and confining them until they are sent to the airport. Workers caught up in this are usually taken by surprise having no idea that their employment is being terminated and have little or no access to outside help once handled over to these repatriation companies. Some workers have come forward to NGOs and the media to claim that they were repatriated this way when sick or injured so that employers can save their medical costs or prevent them from complaining to the Ministry of Manpower or other authorities about the exploitative working