Forum: Include migrant workers in recommended pay rise

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) welcomes the National Wages Council’s (NWC) recommendation that workers earning up to $2,800 a month receive a raise of 6% to 8%, or at least $120 (National Wages Council recommends 6% to 8% pay rise for lower-wage workers, sets new company category, Oct 19).

We note that the guidelines apply to all employees in the public and private sectors. We urge employers to make sure that “all” includes the migrant workers who build, clean and maintain Singapore.

This matters because migrant workers are excluded from other measures that lift low wages. The Progressive Wage Model, the Local Qualifying Salary and the Progressive Wage Mark cover only local workers. For most work permit holders, including domestic workers, the NWC guideline appears to be the only wage recommendation that applies to them.

Their wages are very low. In a TWC2 survey conducted earlier this year, 499 current work permit holders (excluding domestic workers) reported an average monthly salary of $976, including allowances. Construction workers averaged $868. Marine shipyard workers had the lowest average of any sector, at $567.

It is often assumed that these workers receive free housing and meals on top of their pay. Some do, but many do not, and others have employers deduct part of their already low salary for accommodation and food. Even where housing is provided free, it is no substitute for wages. It ties a worker’s home to his job and leaves him no say over how he lives.

At these levels, even 6% matters. A 6% raise on $976 comes to less than $60. We ask employers to follow the guidelines for work permit holders earning less than $2,800. We also ask the NWC and the Ministry of Manpower to report how far the guidelines are adopted for foreign employees, as they do for the workforce overall.

Migrant workers are often excluded from wage-related national conversations. However, many migrant workers have worked in Singapore for many years and consider Singapore their second home. And, without doubt, they have contributed to Singapore’s stronger-than-expected economic performance this year. They are also affected by the same rising costs from the Middle East supply disruptions that the council cited.

If all workers are to enjoy the fruits of Singapore’s growth, that must include the workers who helped produce it.

Ethan Guo
Executive Director
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2)