The Straits Times (Singapore)
August27, 2012 Monday
Panasonic workers demand better pay;
They goonline to protestagainst poor wages and working conditions
BYLINE:toh yong chuan
SECTION:SINGAPORE
MORE than 100 disgruntled Panasonic factory workers from China have started an online petition demanding higher pay and better working conditions, and that action be taken against their labour agent for over-charging them.
But Panasonic Asia Pacific said it has not received any official letter or petition from the workers. It has, however, started investigating the grievances.
The workers said in the petition last Wednesday that their monthly basic pay of $500 is too low and they need to work overtime to earn more.
They charged that the electronics giant had withheld their employment contracts and did not give them sufficient notice before making them work overtime.
They also alleged that their labour agent broke the law by charging them more than $6,000 each to bring them into Singapore.
Although 118 workers are said to have signed the petition, the online version did not carry any details of the petitioners.
The Straits Times understands that these petitioners work atPanasonic'sBedok factory, which produces compressors for air-conditioners. They are among 650 workers from China who form part ofPanasonic's5,400-strong workforce in Singapore.
Panasonic has refuted the charges. A spokesman said all entry-level workers get a minimum of $760, including allowances.
The firm also complies with the law on overtime work, and workers are given one week's notice. "They have the right to accept or reject the overtime arrangement," the spokesman said.
While this is not the first time foreign workers have taken their grievances public, it is uncommon for them to turn to online petitions.
Explaining why the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) posted the workers' case online, its executive director Jolovan Wham said: "I am sympathetic to their plight because the problems they cite are common among many low- wage migrant workers here."
Meanwhile, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said it is looking into the case, and has urged the workers to step forward.
"It has been difficult for MOM to independently verify the facts because the workers involved are not named and have not come forward," a spokesman said.
The Straits Times spoke to three workers who said they had signed the petition, but two declined to be named for this report.
The third, 36-year-old Liu Xili, said he had quit and would be going home to Liaoning, China next month.
"Nobody forced me to work here, but the low pay is not worth it," he said in Mandarin.