Free, legally binding mediation services for maids here
Foreign domestic workers can now get free mediation services at a non-profit organisation and arrive at settlement agreements that are legally binding.
The Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (Fast) said yesterday it has received accreditation to provide such services and help domestic workers resolve problems they may face with their employer or employment agents.
Fast has been providing pro bono mediation services since 2016 and has handled 46 cases so far, said its mediation sub-committee chair Michael Chew.
But although all of the cases so far were settled amicably, the agreements were not technically legally enforceable, he said.
He said the cases were referred to Fast by various sources, including the parties involved in the dispute themselves as well as embassies and the police.
A team of 14 volunteers at Fast, who are from other mediation organisations such as the Community Mediation Centre managed by the Ministry of Law, have been helping domestic workers resolve issues such as days off, home leave and getting enough food.
Mr Chew added that the number of volunteer mediators may have to double as Fast will begin taking on cases referred to it by the Ministry of Manpower.
Fast is the first social service organisation in Singapore to receive accreditation, said Mr Marcus Lim, executive director of the Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI).
SIMI helped Fast firm up some of its processes, such as its criteria for assessing volunteer mediators, he added.
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