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Govt has enhanced protection for maids, replies ministry

Foreign manpower
  • The Straits Times (21 September 2010) : Govt has enhanced protection for maids, replies ministry
  • The Straits Times (16 September 2010) : Excluded workers - 'Time for the Government to think again' 
Govt has enhanced protection for maids, replies ministry
- The Straits Times, 21 September 2010

We thank Dr Vincent Wijeysingha for his feedback (Straits Times, 16 Sep).

Due to the nature of their job, foreign domestic workers (FDWs) are covered under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, rather than the Employment Act. The Government has also enhanced protection for FDWs by raising the penalties for offences committed against them under the Penal Code.

Protection for FDWs has gone beyond legislative measures. For instance, MOM maintains a dedicated helpline for distressed FDWs and actively educates employers on good FDW employment practices.

The Government will continue to review both legislative and non-legislative measures to ensure that FDWs are adequately protected.


Excluded workers - 'Time for the Government to think again.'
- The Straits Times, 16 September 2010 

It has been stated by the Government in the past that it was difficult to bring some categories of workers, among them domestic workers, under the protection of the Employment Act. This view has not been revisited since the Act was passed in 1968, when there would have been few foreigners in the domestic work industry. Today, with a foreign domestic worker population of almost 200,000, it is time for the Government to think again.