Singapore authorities should immediately drop charges against four migrant Chinese bus drivers who face trial on December 6, 2012, for leading a two-day work stoppage. The criminal case against the drivers, who work for the public transport company SMRT, implicates the rights to freedom of association and assembly, as well as the right to strike.
“Singapore defies basic labor rights by criminalizing migrant workers for a work stoppage and threatening them with prison terms, fines, and deportation,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It then adds insult to injury by justifying nationality-based discrimination in pay and working conditions, and restricting foreign workers’ rights to form or lead a union to do something about it.” Full story
