Efforts to Ensure Work Pass Holders are Aware of COVID-19 Measures

The following question stood in the name of Assoc Prof Walter Theseira –

1 To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what steps have been taken to ensure that work pass holders are aware of the COVID-19 control measures and are empowered to report violations of such measures, particularly if violations are encouraged by errant employers; and (b) what has been done to ensure that work pass holders who face cancellation of their work passes due to violating Leave of Absence, Quarantine or other COVID-19 control measures have not done so under duress or misinformation from their employers.

Ms Anthea Ong (Nominated Member): Question No 1, please.

The Minister of State for Manpower (Mr Zaqy Mohamad) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, MOM has been actively disseminating educational materials on COVID-19 control measures including the need to maintain good personal hygiene and on the Stay-Home Notice, to employers and partners such as the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC). Many are available in the work pass holders’ native language and are available on MOM’s website. Employers have been encouraged to use these materials to do regular briefings to their workers. MOM has also asked employers to contact the work pass holders affected by the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice requirements and directly inform them of the measures. Dormitory operators have been displaying many of our posters in their premises. In addition, MOM has been sharing bite-size COVID-19 information to the foreign workers through our foreign worker ambassadors on a daily basis. Videos in various native languages have also been produced to explain the situation and control measures. Ground engagement with foreign workers has been further stepped up with the help of the MWC.

As part of our control measures, since 9 February 2020, employers have to obtain MOM's prior approval before the affected work pass holders can enter Singapore. Employers have to send the MOM approval letter with the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice requirements to their work pass holders before they commence their return.

Work pass holders are aware they face cancellation of their work passes if they violate the COVID-19 control measures. Employers and employees have a joint duty to ensure that the employee behaves responsibly during the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice. In cases where the work pass holders were asked to work during their Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice, they should not comply and instead report their employer to the Ministry. MOM will investigate and take actions against the employer. As of 22 February 2020, MOM has taken action against 15 employers whose workers breached the Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice requirements. These employers had their work pass privileges suspended for at least two years. In three instances, the workers were not found culpable and were provided the opportunity to find alternative employment in Singapore.

Mr Speaker: Ms Anthea Ong.

Ms Anthea Ong (Nominated Member): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for the response. It was mentioned in The Straits Times on 13 February that three workers were issued warning letters when their employers has asked them to go to work. Will their subsequent employment after their current employment ends, be affected? Workers who are issued warning letters are usually unable to find subsequent employment when current employment ends.

The second supplementary question, in a recent The Straits Times report – I think it was two days ago – we are also concerned about an additional three workers whose Work Permits were revoked because they did not answer their calls by the Ministry, as the Minister of State alluded to earlier. This seems rather harsh and we are wondering if investigations are being conducted to find out why they did not answer their calls.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: For the first question, the Member would have noticed, yesterday as well, we announced that we are going to work on change of employment directives for manufacturing as well as services. These are two areas where today, they are not allowed to do change of employment so easily. So, we are facilitating it through the trade associations, companies and industry representatives. This is important. We try to help these workers. If you know of such workers, please do refer them to us and we will have organisations or partners such as MWC to see how we can support them.

On the second point, it is also important for us to signal that for a public health measure, we cannot take this too lightly. When workers fail to respond, I am sure they have valid reasons. We go down and investigate each one of them. There are a variety of reasons why they cannot respond, the most common is, "My phone cannot get a signal" and so forth. The reality is you have the whole day to respond. We do give leeway if needed. When they cannot account for where they were, then it becomes a bit more difficult to explain. In the interest of public health, you have to take a check. This is where we have to take action. And I have to thank employers as well as workers for cooperating with us on all our measures, whether it is Leave of Absence, Stay-Home Notice or the quarantine measures to ensure that public health is maintained, public safety is maintained. And we manage the situation as best as we can.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (West Coast): I would like to ask the Minister of State a supplementary question. For local or foreign workers, in light of the required five-day Medical Certificates (MCs) that are issued by doctors for flu or fever during this COVID-19 period, whether MOM can classify these MCs given out as COVID-19 MCs and outside of the scope or ambit of the 14 days Sick Leave under the Employment Act. Otherwise, the suggestion would be to classify it instead as Hospitalisation Leave under the Employment Act so that a worker will not over consume the 14-day Sick Leave entitlement under the Employment Act.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Firstly, I just want to say "Thank you" to all our employers and workers for cooperating with us. I said Leave of Absence and Stay-Home Notice earlier but I think even MCs today are an important part of the health measures that we have to undertake. The five-day MC is granted to individuals who display respiratory symptoms to allow them to rest at home and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Employers can treat the five-day MCs as part of the employees' outpatient Sick Leave entitlement, or alternatively, as the Member suggested, if they wish to provide more support to the employees, employers can also treat the five-day MC as part of the employees' Hospitalisation Leave entitlement. We are indeed flexible. If an employee were to have insufficient outpatient Sick Leave in the future, employers are encouraged to be flexible and compassionate, and grant additional Sick Leave to the employee to take into consideration the prolonged Sick Leave used for the COVID-19 situation.

But generally, for MCs of five days, you will not exceed either one. With the Leave of Absence, Stay-Home Notice or quarantine, the Government does provide a grant to the employer of $100 a day. We are publishing an FAQ to provide clearer guidance to employers on the issue. The team is working on this. So, we are hoping to get the link ready, either by today or tomorrow.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Just one clarification. I understand the rationale of making of sure that our workers come back only with approval. But it is the employer who submits the application to MOM for approval. In the case where the two workers came back to Singapore without approval, can I just ask what is the rationale of punishing the workers when it was not them who had to apply to get the approval to return?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: I thank the Member for his question. I think we have always made it very clear. It is both the responsibility of the worker and the employer. There are cases in which we have not punished the worker because the worker came to report to us and said his employer had forced him to come back. It is important and incumbent upon us. Again, the measures are in place because public health is at stake. So, in this case, I think we have to also take a really bird's eye view on how we want to deal with the issue, and in which everyone – both the employer and worker – has to cooperate.