A labour saga in Singapore involving migrant workers going unpaid for months…has raised questions about wage policies for unskilled staff…

Under Singapore law, migrant workers cannot apply for their own work permit since the entire system is anchored in employer sponsorship, meaning bosses control the work passes of migrants…

Kathiravelu argued that delinking work permits from employers and allowing workers to change employers without penalty would help address gaps in the system since currently, migrant workers whose permits are cancelled risk not only losing their job, but their right to remain in Singapore.

Walter Theseira…noted that employers who failed to pay contributions…to the Central Provident Fund (CPF)…committed serious offences that the authorities quickly investigated and prosecuted.

“There is no such ease of detecting issues with lack of regular wage payment, because wage payments, or lack thereof, are not routinely reported to the government.”…

Claimants faced language barriers, digital barriers, limited access to payslips or employment records and fear of retaliation…

Workers who had paid a lot of money in recruitment fees were especially reluctant to risk their jobs…

“It’s also a MOM issue,”…“It should look into whether current grievance or whistle-blowing mechanisms are effective, especially for migrant workers...”…