Page 57 - BPAReport

43. Regulators must enforce that the fees and charges, established for services and
mandatory requirements expected of employers (e.g health, insurance, biometrics, etc) are
adhered to. There should be no hidden charges imposed on PLKS workers and that such fees
should be paid by the employers as per agreement.

44. Regulators must enforce that authorised recruitment companies comply with the terms
of their licence and establish safeguards against bonded labour or forced labour arrangements.

45. Regulators must enforce that employers do not employ undocumented workers.
Immigration and the Police must in particular have effective programs to identify and
repatriate undocumented workers without undue delay.

Recognition and SOPs in use of PLKS Smart ID cards

46. The online system must have the capability to issue standard digitalized ID cards,
including virtual SmartPhone Online IDs sourced from biometric information and the PLKS
worker unique ID number stored in the online database. All enforcement officers must give
recognition to these Smart ID cards. Enforcement authorities must no longer demand sight of
hardcopy IDs like passports whose absence currently constitutes an offence.

Terminate Ops Mega 3

47. The Independent Committee recommends that with immediate effect the current
enforcement program designated as Ops Mega 3 should be terminated. The operational
objectives under this program are unclear and remain non-transparent with large elements of
unreasonable arbitrary actions. This is causing unwarranted distress for employers and
foreign workers. They also give rise to huge detention expenses compounded by inflexibility
in easing fines for immigration offenses to allow for quick repatriation of detained
undocumented workers.

48. The Independent Committee has listed a few policy changes that enforcement
agencies should consider as set forth in Box 9.

Policy Recommendations on Enforcement of PLKS System
1. Subcommittee on enforcement of PLKS workers’ policies
2. Proper governance and effectiveness in enforcement actions
3. Recognition and SOPs in use of PLKS Smart ID cards
4. Terminate Ops Mega 3

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