Daily Lessons from Life 25 September 2009

"More protection, stiffer rules
Tougher measures to protect foreign workers who cannot medical fees after subsidies in public hospitals and polytechnic. -Fri, Sep 25, 2009 The Straits Times

FOREIGN workers and maids will get greater protection from January 1 when the Manpower Ministry introduces two key changes.


The minimum medical insurance coverage for foreign workers and maids will be raised from $5,000 to $15,000 a year.

The ministry will also clamp down on errant employers who fail to pay their workers' salaries promptly - they will lose the security bond of $5,000 on top of being fined or jailed."

Good to see Singapore government stepping in to protect foreign workers who were exploited by unscrupulous employers that we don't need nor want!

Lessons for me are:

1. if this make the foreign workers more expensive and led to the employers employing Singaporeans who can and want to stay employed and work hard, at least we removed some artificial 'differences in total compensation' between Singaporeans and foreign workers!;

2. it is also a way to protect Brand Singapore which stood for just and fair and efficient and effective 'can do' way! We simply cannot accept that any Singapore employers took advantages of the FW's who only wanted a basic compensation package that meant a lot when remitted back home!;

3. it also force Singaporeans, Singaporean employers, and Singapore Government to recognize the crisis it is facing: that we are losing our competitiveness even in our own market! That we need to find another way of living for those who are less advantage! More works to be created that will still leave some extra to cover the reasonable cost of living bringing up 2 kids, 4 aged parents and no more??

May MOM follow through the execution and enforcement with errant employers while figuring out how to get more Singaporeans on 'new jobs that pay reasonable wages!'