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Source:
www.case.org.sg |
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Model Agreements and Transparent Advertisements from
Accredited Employment Agencies from 15 Sep 2006 |
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LATEST UPDATE BY ASSOCIATION
OF EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES (SINGAPORE) & CASETRUST |
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The accreditation scheme for Employment
Agencies placing foreign domestic workers (FDWs) has been in place for
three years since 2002. |
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The two accreditation bodies, Association of
Employment Agencies (Singapore) and CaseTrust have been gathering
feedback from employers and agencies to improve the standards of
employment agencies in Singapore. |
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It is a common grouse among consumers that
contracts offered by different employment agencies in the market vary
widely and there is often no basis for comparison between agencies. |
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In addition, employers have often been
attracted by attractive price promotions on advertisements by agencies,
without knowing the terms and conditions tied to them. |
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Conversely, some agencies have also found
that despite their best efforts, some of their customers do not
understand the terms of contract they have entered into. |
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To address these concerns, AEA(S) and
CaseTrust are pleased to introduce two standard contracts and a
set of price advertising guidelines to their accreditation
schemes. |
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Standard Contracts |
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The standard contracts include: |
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1
The Service Agreement between the employment agency and the
employer. |
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The key changes in the Service
Agreement that would benefit employers include a well-defined
replacement policy and a fairer refund policy which will improve
service standards in the industry and reduce the possibility of
disputes. The agreement will require individual EAs to provide a
price schedule, detailing the breakdown of fees clearly to the
employer. |
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2
The Employment Contract between the employer and the foreign
domestic worker. |
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This contract is designed to help
smoothen employer/employee relationships from the onset, by
minimising any ambiguities on the employment terms. For example,
the contract will include the stipulation of the minimum of one
day-off entitlement for the Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs).
However, if the day-off is not taken, the employer will have to
compensate the FDW in cash. |
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The standard contracts were crafted
with due consideration given to the three stakeholders namely the
Employers, FDWs and the Employment Agencies. |
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The implementation of these contracts
will create a level playing field resulting in greater
professionalism among practitioners. In addition, should disputes
arise on the contract, the matter will be referred to the
accreditation bodies/ employment agencies for mediation. |
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If parties fail to come to terms, the
dispute can be brought to an alternative dispute resolution
mechanism. |
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Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, President of CASE
said, ¡°With the introduction of these agreements, consumers can
now be assured that important terms and conditions of the contract
are spelt out when they sign up with any employment agency
accredited by CaseTrust. This is in line with our continuous
effort to promote fair-trading between consumers and businesses.¡± |
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Mr Yeo, who is also the Chairman of
NTUC Migrant Workers Forum, commended that the introduction of the
Standard Employment Contract is a concrete step to further enhance
the protection and well-being of FDWs in Singapore. |
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The President of AEA(S), Mr Gordon La
Faber is also convinced that the standard service agreement will
result in fewer disputes between Employers and EAs. |
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By the same token, the standard
employment contract will serve to enhance the employer-employee
relationship. Employment Agencies are not allowed to amend the
Service Agreement or the Employment Contract without the prior
approval of their accreditation body. |
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Employment Agencies who make
amendments to either document without prior approval of their
respective accreditation bodies may have their accreditation
status withdrawn. |
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Price Advertising Guidelines |
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To enhance transparency, accredited
EAs who wish to publish their prices would be required to include
four key items, namely, |
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i) the service fee (i.e. the service
fees charged by the agency as well as any local charges) ; |
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ii) the placement fee (i.e. overseas
recruitment costs for the FDW) ; |
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iii) refund policy (to stipulate
amount of refund and the timeframe of such refund, based on the
worst case scenario); and |
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iv) replacement policy (to include at
least the maximum number of replacements allowed and the maximum
validity period). This would apply to any form of medium visible
from outside the agency¡¯s operating premise. |
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Promote Healthy Activities for FDWs |
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In conjunction with the introduction
of these two standard contracts, AEA(S) with the support of the
Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Skills Training (FAST) and
other NGOs, will be distributing pamphlets to newly arrived FDWs
highlighting constructive activities and courses available to
them. |
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These courses include domestic related
activities such as learning new culinary skills to
self-improvement courses such as basic computer skills. The
supporting NGOs and AEA(S) will continue in their endeavours to
assist FDWs in finding productive ways to spend their days-off. |
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All employment agencies accredited by
CaseTrust and AEAS are required to implement the standard
contracts and adhere to the advertising guidelines by 15 Sep 2006. |
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For more information, please contact: |
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CaseTrust Department Tel: 6461 1800
(For Employment Agencies) Website:
www.case.org.sg/ctea.htm
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Association of Employment Agencies
(Singapore) Tel: 6836 2618 Website:
http://www.aeas.org.sg |
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Source:
www.case.org.sg Press Release |
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FrontPage Edition: Sat 22 July 2006
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