Migrant Workers

Migrant workers are one of the most marginalised groups in Singapore, often being deprived of their labour rights by working in a foreign labour system that leaves them highly dependent on their employers. As a result, they often face problems such as the unilateral cancellations of work permits by their employers, poor living conditions, denial of medical insurance, as well as physical and verbal abuse. Hence, I am advocating for equal labour rights of domestic and non-domestic migrant workers– they should be treated well and fairly by their employers, given decent accommodation with good living conditions and ample food to eat, as well as receive their due salaries punctually.

Although there is no institutionalised racial discrimination

In addition, some government policies foster a strong power imbalance, translating into a severe reduction in the bargaining power of migrant workers, which is already undercut by the supply-demand equation working against them. For example, as Singapore does not implement a minimum wage scheme, this lack of regulation has a particularly profound effect on migrant workers, many of whom are unable to negotiate the terms of their employment, receiving unconscionably low salaries. Migrant construction workers can be paid as little as $1.50 an hour and $280 a month, and most employers tend to delay and deduct their pay, some even fully depriving them of their

For example, they frequently face problems such as inhumane working hours, unconscionably low wages, lack of rest days, as well as unequal access to employment benefits.

Some migrant construction workers get as little as 4 hours of sleep every night due to their long working hours and poor dormitory conditions that disrupt their sleep, as many employers house migrant construction workers in unapproved housing that fail to meet minimum standards, letting them live in dormitories infested with cockroaches that nest below their beds and pesky bed bugs that bite their