Why Chinese Workers Falling Easy Prey in Singapore: Analysis

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Why Chinese Workers Falling Easy Prey in Singapore: Analysis

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For a time of late Chinese migrant builders were seen in large numbers going on a visit for help to the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, complaining about their employers' pay arrears. Singapore has been the largest market serving China's labor export and the two counties have remained on favorable cooperative terms in the area. For the pay arrears of Chinese migrant workers in Singapore the two sides have lately taken a series of measures to guarantee a sound development of labor market by the Singaporean side.

Singapore employers favor Chinese workers

Singapore is a beautiful city-country, where skyscrapers and large mansions stand like a forest. Its building industry plays a key role in boosting Singapore's economic development to an extent about 10 percent of the country's GDP. However, Singapore is a country suffering from a shortage of labor force and must import foreign workers from other Asian countries. Statistics tell Singapore has imported nearly 100,000 Chinese workers by the end of last year most of whom are employed in the building industry.

Singapore employers generally speak highly of Chinese workers for their good technology, understanding ability and high efficiency. They prefer to employ Chinese nationals other than alien nationals from other countries.

Serious pay arrears

However, in a foreign country the Chinese workers sometimes find themselves in a difficult plight. Payment arrears often occur as a recurrent vexing problem. They usually told their employers delay their pay over a time from several months to as long as half or one year. Things with this in Singapore had become more and more serious since last year since a severe economic slump struck.

The employers tried in every possible way to stall their hirelings off with equivocal answers when their pay should be wanted, threatening to cancel their work permits. They even warned their employed not to report it to the Singapore government or Chinese embassy. Knowing the ill effects being possibly informed of their illegal stay, sent home by force or having work permits cancelled, these Chinese migrants had to swallow insults and humiliations.

Sundry market hazards bracing Chinese laborers

Too many channels for sending labor out is the key problem found in China's home labor market. As for organizers, apart from authorized companies, many non-authorized intermediary ones are also dealing with the line of labor service illegally.

Singaporean intermediary companies are mainly to take advantage of government rules and regulations cheating Chinese workers' money under various names. First, collecting large quantities of money from the workers. They lie to the workers that they have to pay cash pledge to the government so collect S$ 5,000 from each of them. Second, scalping recruitment quota. According to related regulations of Singapore, employers can apply for recruitment quota to the Ministry of Manpower based on the scale of their projects. Some illegal enterprises and intermediary organizations then make false reports to gain quota, only aiming to recruit Chinese workers and collect money from them. Third, deceiving intentionally. Some bankrupted companies recruit Chinese workers and collect large service charges from them and then declare bankruptcy. Forth, recruiting casual laborers through illegal means.

By PD Online Staff Yang Ruoqian

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