From Jan 1 next year, workplace dormitories will have to provide foreign workers with Wi-Fi, personal lockers, accommodation feedback avenues, and at least one sick bay or backup plans in case of infectious disease cases. This was announced by the Ministry of Manpower yesterday (Aug 24), in an attempt to raise the standard of living for foreign workers.
The new licensing conditions are a welcome change after MOM examined 900 factory-converted dorms late last year and found 160 to be overcrowded, with substandard living conditions. Enforcement action has been taken against those that failed the inspection.
The Foreign Employee Dormitories Act, which came into effect on Jan 1 this year, called for the 50 dorms with at least 1,000 beds to observe tighter rules. About 1,000 factory-converted dorms here are home to 80,000 workers, and basic amenities like bed frames, clean sanitary facilities and one electrical point per worker are a definite requirement.
Some companies expressed concern about the higher cost and more complicated administrative processes of this new ruling, but Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck assured them that the changes are for “the longer-term benefit of the operators because if you take care of the well-being of the workers they will work harder, they will be happier, and they won’t go into medical problems or social issues.”
According to The Straits Times, companies must display documents and photos to prove their adherence to the rules, and MOM will continue to conduct regular premise inspections.
