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Foreign workers constitute more than 85 per cent of Singapore's construction workforce from India, Bangladesh and China. There are approximately 1.05 million foreign workers in Singapore, of which 2,45,000 are in the construction sector alone. The relatively low wages, long hours and harsh working conditions make the industry an unattractive sector for most Singaporeans. “The most important reason for exploitation of foreign workers is the employer-sponsored work visa policy prevalent in Singapore, which gives employers excessive power and control over their workers,” said Debbie Fordyce, coordinator at Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a non-profit advocacy group working for fair treatment of foreign workers in Singapore.
It starts with having to pay high agency fees to secure a job in Singapore. Once here, the workers are made to sign contracts limiting their civil liberties and agreeing to receive lower wages than promised. Additionally, the prevalence of unpaid salaries, long working hours with no offs, forced dangerous work leading to injuries, employers refusing to bear the cost of medical treatment, poor accommodations, passports routinely withheld, and above all, forced repatriation to their home countries without the employer settling their claims, make migrant workers one of the most vulnerable section of Singapore society. Full story...
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Foreign workers constitute more than 85 per cent of Singapore's construction workforce from India, Bangladesh and China. There are approximately 1.05 million foreign workers in Singapore, of which 2,45,000 are in the construction sector alone. The relatively low wages, long hours and harsh working conditions make the industry an unattractive sector for most Singaporeans. “The most important reason for exploitation of foreign workers is the employer-sponsored work visa policy prevalent in Singapore, which gives employers excessive power and control over their workers,” said Debbie Fordyce, coordinator at Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a non-profit advocacy group working for fair treatment of foreign workers in Singapore.
It starts with having to pay high agency fees to secure a job in Singapore. Once here, the workers are made to sign contracts limiting their civil liberties and agreeing to receive lower wages than promised. Additionally, the prevalence of unpaid salaries, long working hours with no offs, forced dangerous work leading to injuries, employers refusing to bear the cost of medical treatment, poor accommodations, passports routinely withheld, and above all, forced repatriation to their home countries without the employer settling their claims, make migrant workers one of the most vulnerable section of Singapore society. Full story...
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