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Written Answer by Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng to PQ on employer penalties who do not comply with mandatory rest days for MDWs

Foreign manpower

NOTICE PAPER 1082 OF 2022 FOR THE SITTING ON 4 APRIL 2022

QUESTION NO. 1689 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang 

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether any penalties will be imposed on employers for not providing their migrant domestic worker with a day off once a month when it becomes mandatory by the end of 2022; and (b) if so, what are the penalties.

Answer:

  1. Employers will be required to provide their migrant domestic workers (MDWs) with at least one rest day a month that cannot be compensated away by end 2022. This will be imposed as a Work Permit Condition under the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations.
  2. MOM recognises that some households, such as those with higher caregiving needs, may be concerned with the transition to the mandatory rest day policy. We encourage employers and their MDWs to initiate early conversations on their respective needs and come to a mutual agreement on the rest day arrangement. When the rest day policy comes into effect by end 2022, MDWs who do not receive at least one rest day per month that cannot be compensated away may call MOM’s MDW helpline for advice. We will speak to both MDWs and their employers to better understand their respective needs and advise employers to work out alternative care arrangements.
  3. If there are employers who fail to heed our advice to provide their MDWs with mandatory rest days, they may be issued warnings and debarred from hiring MDWs. We have sufficient tools to ensure that employers observe the rest day requirement and hope not to need to prosecute anyone as that will attract the penalties prescribed under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.