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Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower, to Parliamentary Question on penalties for Foreign Domestic Workers who give false information or accuse employers wrongly

Foreign manpower

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1686 OF 2019 FOR THE SITTING ON 8 JULY 2019
QUESTION NO. 2841 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Er Dr Lee Bee Wah 

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the penalties for foreign domestic workers who give false information or accuse employers wrongly; and (b) how many of such complaints has the Ministry received in the past three years.


Answer 

  1. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) takes all complaints seriously, whether they are made by an employer or a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW).  Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), giving false information, or making false allegations is an offence punishable by imprisonment of up to two years, and/or a fine of up to $20,000.  An FDW who is found guilty will also be banned from employment in Singapore. 

  2. From 2016 to 2018, MOM investigated and took action against 25 FDWs who gave false information and/or made false accusations.  Eight FDWs were prosecuted and sentenced to jail for up to eight weeks, or fined up to $9,000.  Two were issued composition fines of $2,000.  The remaining 15 were issued warnings.  All 25 FDWs were repatriated and banned from employment in Singapore.