All in a day’s work
28 March 2013
At around lunchtime, I stepped into a
Korean restaurant along Tanjong Pagar Road with a colleague. As we looked
through the menu, we also “checked out” the servers in the restaurant. Were they
locals? If they looked foreign, did they hold valid work passes? Food was obviously
the last thing on our minds.
Paying a
“Surprise Visit”
The restaurant that I “patronised” was
one of five restaurants along the stretch that had been targeted for an
operation by our team. The planned operations were part of an ongoing series of
similar operations meant to detect cases of illegal employment in F&B
outlets.
Eyes on
Target
The task of my colleague and I was to scout
the premises for suspected illegal employment. Once we assessed that there was such
a possibility, our teammates waiting in the vicinity would move in quickly.
My colleague and I on
the scouting mission
Action Begins
MOM officers moving in
to check on the foreigners working in the restaurant
After we settled the bill, our
teammates with their trademark MOM vests descended on the restaurant. We identified
ourselves and checked on the foreigners, while ensuring we did so without causing
too much of a disturbance to other diners in the restaurant. I noticed the diners in the restaurant quietly
observing the goings-on. I’m glad we didn’t disrupt their meals too much!
We got our
targets!
All the foreigners working in the restaurant
did not have valid work passes. As we recorded their details and interviewed them
in a corner of the restaurant, the restaurant’s business drew to a close for
the afternoon.
At the end of the three-hour
operation, we rounded up 15 illegally employed foreigners in those five
restaurants that afternoon. Other than employing foreigners without valid Work
Passes, some of the restaurants also owed salaries due to their
legally-employed foreign employees. These are contraventions under the
Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
We then escorted the foreigners into
our van, and proceeded to bring them back to our office. While it may seem that
our work has ended here, this is certainly not the case! My colleagues and I
would still have to take statements from the foreigners and write reports on
our findings. Thereafter, our colleagues from the Investigations branch would
take over and it is then that our work is considered done.
Having been in the operations branch
for some time, I realised that no two operations are the same – there are
always situations and challenges that keep me on my toes – but that is what I
like about the job. I am glad that my work allows me to make a difference, as I
am playing a part in enforcing the law, and ensuring that the work pass
framework is not undermined. At the same time, we can ensure via our checks
that the legitimate workers are treated fairly.
One major contributing factor to the
success of each operation is the deployment of our advance party. Not only does
it allow us to effectively monitor employers, it also reminds them that our
officers are constantly on the ground and looking out for any circumvention of
our laws.
We also get tip-offs from the public regularly,
and we appreciate that – they act as extra “eyes and ears” for us on the ground [1]!
Most employers of foreign
workers are law-abiding, though a small minority may try to get around the
system. Thanks to good planning and intelligence gathering, we achieved a 100%
“hit rate” this time around. It is through weeding out errant employers who
resort to unfair means that we are able to level the playing field for
law-abiding employers. Our inspections may have caused some inconvenience to other
businesses in the area, but I hope employers understand why we do what we do,
and cooperate with us.
It was certainly an interesting day at
the office for me, as an MOM Employment Inspector. The action never stops, and
I am glad to do my part to uphold our foreign manpower employment laws.
Victoria
(Not
real name due to nature of work)
Senior
Employment Inspector
Foreign
Manpower Management Division, Ministry of Manpower
[1] Members of the public
with information on illegal employment can call MOM at (65) 6438 5122, or email
mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg to provide information. Such calls and emails
will be kept strictly confidential.
