MOM protects employers, not employees

I have always thought the Ministry of Manpower should protect the rights of workers rather than the employees. This is clearly not the case if they charge workers in court for filing fraudulent claims while ignoring disgraceful abuses from employers.

Fraudulent work injury compensation claims have earned four workers jail sentences of between three and eight weeks.

The [Work Injury Compensation] Act is designed to compensate employees injured in the course of work. But executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation Koh Juan Kiat noted that some employers worry that it works mainly to the benefit of workers.

The MOM's prosecution of the four workers "should be assurance for employers that workers who misuse the system will be taken to task", he said.

The MOM said it would not hesitate to act against false claimants; they can be fined up to $15,000 or jailed for up to 12 months or both.

I find Mr Koh's statement laughable: the act is clearly written to protect employees; only here would a law meant to protect employees be used against them. This is appalling.

To be clear, I'm not condoning the acts of filing false claims. Workers who commit fraud should be taken to task and punished through due process in a court of law. But abuses from employers should also be handled legally.

Employers hold a position of power, and abused workers often have no recourse other than turn to the authorities for help. When the authorities fail to do so, it reinforces the perception that workers are dispensable while employers are a protected caste.

When Abu Sama was physically assaulted right outside the MOM building, where were the criminal charges against his employers for this act of violence? Looking the other way after this egregious act sends a message that MOM is not here to protect the workers, that the workers' rights are not as deserving as employers', and directly emboldens employers to continue the abuses that should never be tolerated.

(h/t: The Online Citizen)