SINGAPORE: A growing number of Myanmar migrant workers in Singapore are asking for help after facing unpaid wages, poor working conditions, and misleading job offers. Some say they were even tricked into doing illegal work after arriving in the country.
A local migrant worker support group said the number of Myanmar workers seeking help has increased in recent years. The cases range from salary disputes to troubling claims that workers were lured into jobs they never agreed to. More concerning are reports of some cases alleging that they were lured to work illegally in the country, such as providing intimate physical services or illegal massages.
One case involved a 28-year-old woman who fled the war-torn Myanmar and came to Singapore in the hopes of stable work. She was told she would work in a beauty salon, but when she arrived, she was instead placed in a massage parlour. She said the training lasted only about an hour before she was sent to serve customers. Soon after, a client asked her to touch him inappropriately during the session. The request left her shocked and apologetic as she recalled the experience.
Her story is one of several examples raised by the aid group, 8world News reported. Two Myanmar men also said they paid more than S$4,000 each to job agents who promised kitchen assistant roles in Singapore. When they arrived, they found out that the two-year employment contract did not exist, and their work permits listed them as performing artists instead, which was valid for only six months.
The general manager of the migrant worker support group explained that Myanmar workers often face harder choices than others. Many cannot afford the cost of returning home and fear deportation or job loss. Because of that pressure, they may endure difficult conditions just to keep working.
The organisation said it handled just one case involving a Myanmar worker in 2022. By last year, that number had climbed to more than 130.
The report indicates that stronger oversight of recruitment practices and clearer information for incoming workers could help reduce such cases. For many of these workers, their only concern is just earning enough to pay off recruitment fees and to support their families back home.
