Choice

Topic
Target
Group

of

Expanding Legal Aid for Foreign Workers

Reasons for
Choice
of

Topic
and
Target
Group

Work Permit (WP) holders and Foreign Domestic Workers

(FDW)
Do not qualify for governmental legal aid under Legal Aid
Bureau
Legal consultation is costly, may cost at least two months
base salary for some (Lee, 2013), unlike S-Pass and E-Pass
holders.

Lack of Access: Only legal aid currently is by Migrant

Workers Council, held fornightly on Saturday from 12-2pm
(Requires online booking, timing may be inconvenient)
Causes of Lack of Awareness: According to Deputy Public Prosecutor
Problem
Jason Chua, foreign workers are unaware of their rights
and rarely assert them due to work commitments or
culture and language barriers.
Cost of Legal Advice

Choice
of
Case Study
Lessons
from Case
Study

Australia. Refugees in Australia are similar to foreign workers

in Singapore in terms of social status, birth origins and
public perception, moreover both justice systems have
British origins.
Government funded legal representation and legal
advice for asylum seekers
Refugee & Immigration Legal Centre (RILC): a nongovernmental community legal centre providing free
telephone advice and weekly face-to-face meetings.
Government approves Registered Migration Agents to
provide immigration assistance on a paid or voluntary
basis.
Government develops Protection Application Information
and Guides (PAIG) in various languages to advise on
asylum application.

Cost of Legal
Advice
Pro-bono work involving Law Students
Approach/Strategy Details
Rationale
Law students would visit foreign workers Objective:
in their dormitory on a regular basis to:- Develop a connection with foreign
Lack of Access
Distribute material pertaining to
workers, continue to provide proemployment rights (similar to
bono legal representation when
Australian PAIG)
students settle on their careers
Translation
to
Bengali,
Tamil,
Interview migrant workers to find
Mandarin, Thai and Indonesian to
Lack
of Awareness
out if salary is paid accordingly
and
overcome language barrier
punctually, working and living
conditions are reasonable

May be spearheaded by UniSIMs

Legal of
Aidlaw,
for since it is a specialist
school
law
school
for
Migrant
Workers specifically
prospective family and criminal
lawyers.

Feasibility & Management

Limitations:
of
Students unwillingUtilisation
to shed previous
Foreign Workers
notions and stereotypes
of foreign
Levy to Aid in
workers
Employers
unwilling
to
allow
Legal Costs
students into dormitories

Pro-bono work
involving Law
Solutions:
Students
Multiple pre-service
briefings for

Governmentfunded Legal Aid

RILC Nongovernmental
Legal Centre

Approach/Strategy Details
Legal helpline managed by trained
staff to advise on the necessity of
legal action (Training may be
formalised in a similar manner to

students by organisers to allay

concerns of students and disprove
Partnership with
false stereotypes
Legal nonPartnership withNTUC
relevant
Service
governmental
or
governmental
organisations willDepartment
add credibility to
service project
Publicity of service through social
at
media platforms Outreach
will give positive
Various
image of employer
whoLocations
is willing to
work together for the welfare of his
workers

Partnership with NTUC to offer Legal Help

Rationale
Feasibility & Management
Government Role
of
NTUC
in
tripartite Limitations:
Certified
relationship with employers and Foreign workers may be unaware of
Registered
government (Mr Yeo Guat Kwang
presence of such services.
Migration
Agents
from the NTUC chairs
the Migrant

Protection
Application
Information Guides

Australias RMAs)
Free legal consultation by members
of Legal Service Department of
NTUC

Approach/Strategy Details

Targeted outreach efforts at

common gathering places such as
Little India, a de facto gathering
for workers (Sim, 2014)
Partnership with companies running
private
bus
services
to
congregation areas
o
Verbal outreach in buses during
journey
o
Distribution of brochures and
guides at common gathering
areas

Approach/Strategy Details
Law society may engage

its

Workers Council (MWC))

Legally-qualified individuals will be
able to give relevant advice as
required
Solves issue of lack of access since
flexible arrangements may be made
for legal consults (Helplines have
been successful with RILC in
Australia)

Outreach Efforts at Various Locations

Rationale
Larger outreach group than visiting
individual dormitories
Workers may be more willing to
bring out problems with face-toface meeting outside dormitories
and away from watch of employers
Conduct outreach without utilising
excessive amounts of workers time

Utilisation of Levy to Aid In Legal Costs

Rationale

Allow for fair legal representation

Solutions:
In line with the first solution,
students may inform workers of
how to access these kinds of legal
help if necessary.

Feasibility & Management

Limitations:

Bus
companies
unwilling
to
cooperate
in
fear
of
losing
customers
Solutions:

By
simultaneously
launching
outreach efforts on several major
bus
companies,
problem
of
competition is reduced.

Feasibility & Management

Limitations:

members
to
provide
legal
representation and consultation to
foreign domestic workers and work
permit holders.
Funds collected from foreign worker
levy may be utilised to pay for legal
fees
o
Currently lawyers may receive
up to $1,000 per case of probono work
Law Society may set a benchmark
or recommendation for minimum
number of hours spent

against employers, who can afford

lawyers
Law firms invest time in corporate
social responsibility (CSR) affairs to
improve image, thus devoting part
of these efforts to migrant workers
would be beneficial.

Low participation
lawyers.

rates

Solutions:

Recognition of efforts,

amongst