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Why ministry did not renew maid's work permit

Foreign manpower
  • The Straits Times (09 November 2010): Why ministry did not renew maid's work permit
  • The Straits Times (02 November 2010): Offer happy ending to story of tenacity
  • The Straits Times (02 November 2010): What makes a society great is graciousness, especially in welcoming those with skills, ambition and fortitude
Why ministry did not renew maid's work
- The Straits Times, 09 November 2010

We refer to the letters by Dr Huang Shoou Chyuan and Mr Kevin Kwek (“The Straits Times, 02 November 2010).

2.   We limit the number of years that work permit holders are allowed to work here, to ensure that employers do not become over dependent on low cost foreign manpower and that lower-skilled foreign workers do not sink roots in Singapore. Ms Dagoplo’s work permit was not renewed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) as she had reached the maximum employment period of 18 years.

3.   For employees who qualify for higher work pass types such as the S Pass or Employment Pass, their employers may apply to upgrade them to such passes which are not subject to the maximum employment period. MOM had informed Ms Dagoplo’s employer earlier that they could consider upgrading her to an S Pass provided that her salary meets the S Pass criteria. However, the employer had not done so when her work permit expired.

Offer happy ending to story of tenacity
- The Straits Times, 02 November 2010

I was shocked to read about a former maid whose dreams were dashed on the rocks of a rigid bureaucracy ('Ex-maid with new job runs out of time'; last Saturday). It is like a fairy tale with an unhappy ending.

Miss Jourgina Dagoplo arrived on our shores as a maid in 1992. She studied hard on her days off (Sundays) and graduated in 2005 from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) with a certificate in electronics, and that landed her a job at IT giant IBM, where she was promoted to senior technician and earned $1,200 a month when she left.

Five years into her job, she was asked to go home by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), all because of a rule which stipulates that a skilled worker on a work permit pass can work here only for a maximum of 18 years - not a day longer, no matter what. Now she is back in the Philippines working as a maid for $5 a day.

IBM had found her to be a 'good performer' and after failing to renew her work permit, had appealed twice to MOM but to no avail.

The irony is that Miss Dagoplo was already doing a part-time diploma course which would have helped her case for staying on here.

Miss Dagoplo is the type of worker that we need more of in our economy - someone who is hungry, ready to take on challenges and not prepared to accept as fate what life dished out to her.

Instead of asking her to leave, the authorities should have offered her a citizenship to reward her for her tenacity and to signal to others that we are a meritocratic society that looks beyond your background and so long as you can contribute to Singapore, you are in. The authorities should review her case and welcome her back to Singapore.

What makes a society great is graciousness, especially in welcoming those with skills, ambition and fortitude
- The Straits Times, 08 November 2010

I thank The Straits Times for bringing to the public eye the sad story of Miss Jourgina Dagoplo. While I understand the rules that prevent her continued stay here and the principles behind them, what makes a society great is its graciousness, especially in welcoming into its fold those with skills, ambition and fortitude. Miss Dagoplo clearly had all of them. How many would have, after so many years as a maid, sought to better themselves? I thought we were a land of equal opportunity.'