TODAY, 29 Sep 2012
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has refuted the allegation that it had warned the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) over the group's efforts in assisting some Chinese workers in a wage dispute with their employer, Panasonic.
The MOM was responding to a Facebook post dated Sept 23 by HOME Executive Director Jolovan Wham, where Mr Wham said HOME had been told it would be held responsible if the workers were to go on strike.
He cited the Panasonic case as an example of "intimidation and pressure" by the Government on civil society.
In a Facebook post yesterday, the MOM said it "had heard that individuals were agitating the workers to carry out some form of collective action".
"The MOM had then checked with HOME to find out more about the situation, speaking with HOME's President Bridget Lew Tan," the ministry said. "No warnings were issued in this conversation."
On the Panasonic case, the MOM said it had been working with the affected workers since last month, contrary to Mr Wham's claims.
Among other things, the MOM had found that the workers' claims of excessive recruitment fees against their Employment Agency were "unsubstantiated".
Apart from the possible breaches of overtime laws, which "require time to investigate and close", the MOM said all other allegations of employment irregularities have been resolved.
"We recognise and appreciate the tireless efforts of non-governmental organisations," said the MOM. "However, publicising unfounded accusations is counter-productive."
* MOM Clarifies Investigation Outcome Involving Employment Agency and Workers from Panasonic Singapore -10 Oct 2012
Civil society group HOME responds to Manpower Ministry
TODAY, 3 Oct 2012
The Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) has responded to the Manpower Ministry's comments that it did not issue a warning to the group over HOME's efforts in assisting some Chinese workers in a wage dispute with their employer, Panasonic. In a Facebook post dated Sept 23, HOME Executive Director Jolovan Wham said HOME was told it would be held responsible if the workers were to go on strike. On Friday, the MOM refuted the claims in a Facebook post.
Here is HOME's response to the MOM's comments:
HOME is pleased that NGOs are recognised by MOM for our tireless efforts, and we appreciate the efforts of MOM to collaborate with us to improve the welfare of workers. We are also re-assured by MOM's clarification that an official warning was not issued to us even as displeasure was expressed by their directors on three separate occasions. We regret the public disclosure of these conversations between HOME and MOM on a personal Face Book wall.
I wish to clarify that HOME was not aware of funds available for the TIP programme until my meeting with the MOM director. I was genuinely surprised that we were not invited to apply for this funding, especially since HOME is an anti-human trafficking organization that has been acknowledged internationally by Mrs Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State. Incidentally we had just completed our research on the labour trafficking of domestic workers without any TIP funds from the government. We will soon make an application with hope for an approval for the funding of our anti-human trafficking programme.
As we respect the efforts of MOM to resolve the concerns of the Panasonic workers, we also empathise with the plight of these workers. They paid approximately $7000 to their agent in China to get work at Panasonic. When they found out that the local agency collected S$3000 a head from the Chinese agent in excess of two months' salary equivalent, three workers lodged a complaint at MOM. Despite the local agent's own admission via video recording, the attending IO dismissed the complaint and accepted the agent's explanation that the $3000 payment receipt included a refundable portion back to the Chinese agent upon the completion of the probationary period of the worker. We hope that MOM would call on the local agent to substantiate his explanation with payment and receipt records to show that the workers were not overcharged in Singapore.
HOME is appreciative of MOM's support to us over the years, and its assurance that we will continue to collaborate as equal partners in the interest of the welfare of migrant workers in Singapore.
Bridget Tan
President and Founder
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