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SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is reviewing its guidelines to see if employers who have received warnings for illegally sending their maids to work in a different location should be fined instead, the Minister of Labor said Thursday. Gan Siow Huang Manpower Status (October 15).
“This is for employers to take seriously their responsibility towards their foreign domestic workers (FDW),” he said in his response to Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) in Parliament.
However, the ministry has no plans to review the maximum penalty for the illegal deployment of FDW, he said, adding that the number of such cases has remained relatively stable in recent years.
The issue of the illegal deployment of foreign domestic workers came to the fore after Indonesian Parti Liyani, a former domestic worker employed by Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family, was acquitted in September of rob them.
Mr. Liew’s wife, Ms. Ng Lai Peng, had told Ms. Parti to go help out at her son Karl’s home. She said she also cleaned her office once a week for a year.
The ministry said it had consulted the Attorney General’s Office and, in May 2018, issued a warning to Ms Ng and a warning to Mr Karl Liew.
An advisory is issued when the illegal deployment is not conclusively substantiated, while a warning is issued, similar to a severe warning by the police, when the ministry establishes that the illegal deployment is rare or took place during a short period of time.
The revision of the sanctions framework for employers who illegally deploy their foreign domestic domestic workers was announced on October 5 by Ms. Gan in Parliament.
Currently, the fine for employers who illegally display their FDWs is up to $ 10,000.
“While the current financial administrative fine is capped at $ 10,000, the eventual fine takes into consideration the severity of the violation and the number of charges that were committed,” Gan said.
Between 2017 and 2019, 16 employers were fined each year, ranging from $ 3,300 to $ 24,000, it added.
He also said errant employers could be prohibited from hiring foreign domestic workers.
When asked by Mr. Ng how long the review will take and whether non-governmental organizations will be consulted, Ms. Gan said that the review is ongoing and the ministry is consulting with various parties, including employers and centers that they take care of foreign domestic workers.
He added that the ministry welcomes the contributions of other organizations or groups with opinions on the subject.
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