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SINGAPORE: The number of foreign workers involved in salary disputes doubled last year.
Revealing the statistics in Parliament, Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said the percentage of foreign work permit holders involved in such disputes rose from about 0.2 per cent in 2007 to about 0.4 per cent in 2008.
In an oral answer to a question from Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC Lee Bee Wah, Mr Gan said his ministry had seen a significant increase in the number of workers seeking help with salary arrears over the past three months.
He said the numbers could rise further as more companies face cash-flow problems during this recession. Hence, the Manpower Ministry has stepped up enforcement and mediation efforts, Mr Gan told the House.
These include more inspections at foreign workers' dormitories and keeping tabs on employers who default on their dormitory rental payments, as these employers are also likely to face problems paying their workers' salaries.
Most salary disputes have been resolved amicably and expeditiously, said Mr Gan, with 85 per cent of cases over the past six months dealt with within three weeks.
Mr Gan also told the House that 26 employers were prosecuted last year for Employment Act violations. Of these cases, 14 involved salary disputes.
Ms Lee also raised the issue of security for residents living near dormitories that house unpaid foreign workers who may be tempted to turn to crime. She said her constituents in the Teachers Estate had been feeling insecure due to the high number of foreign workers staying in nearby Tagore Industrial Park.
Residents had told her that foreign workers often loiter in their estate and even approach them for jobs.
Responding, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee said the sense of insecurity was based more on perception rather than reality. While foreign workers may loiter and cause a social problem, he pointed out that foreigners generally commit fewer crimes than locals.
He told the House that in 2007, the arrest rate for locals was 456 for every 100,000, compared to 279 for foreigners. The arrest rate for work permit holders was lower at 217 per 100,000 work permit holders.
Associate Professor Ho said the police had in place community engagement programmes and also conducted frequent visits to worker dormitories.
He said besides the police, community involvement is important and many dormitory operators also engage their own security officers to ensure good behaviour among the workers.
- CNA/yt
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