The decision by Singapore's Manpower Ministry to grant foreign domestic workers a weekly rest day is an important reform but falls short of international standards, Human Rights Watch said today. The changes, announced on March 5, 2012, go into effect only for new contracts beginning in January 2013 and do not address the exclusion of domestic workers from other key labor protections in Singapore's Employment Act.
"The Singaporean government's recognition of a weekly rest day as a basic labor right will make the lives of migrant domestic workers better," said Nisha Varia, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "But this important reform should go into effect this year and apply to all domestic workers and their current contracts."
The announcement by Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said employers will be able to give a domestic worker monetary compensation in lieu of a rest day with the domestic worker's permission. Given the imbalance of power between employers and domestic workers, there is significant risk of abuse that employers may coerce workers to sign away their day of rest, Human Rights Watch said. Full story...
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"The Singaporean government's recognition of a weekly rest day as a basic labor right will make the lives of migrant domestic workers better," said Nisha Varia, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "But this important reform should go into effect this year and apply to all domestic workers and their current contracts."
The announcement by Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said employers will be able to give a domestic worker monetary compensation in lieu of a rest day with the domestic worker's permission. Given the imbalance of power between employers and domestic workers, there is significant risk of abuse that employers may coerce workers to sign away their day of rest, Human Rights Watch said. Full story...
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