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ABSTRACT
This paper examines the effects of multilevel governance (MLG) on the rights of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) in Singapore, focusing in particular on the case of Filipino MDWs. The paper argues that in the highly centralised, authoritarian setting of Singapore, there are very few instances of MLG in the field of migrant domestic work. The Singapore state has resisted the diffusion of norms and initiatives regarding labour migration at the international and regional levels into the national level, and the dispersion of authority to non-state actors such as civil society. However, there are a limited number of cases of MLG in this area, such as unilateral initiatives of the Philippines to protect its overseas workers, and an agreement between the Philippine Embassy and an association of employment agencies in Singapore. The paper contends that while these initiatives can provide an ad hoc and limited improvement of the working conditions of Filipino MDWs, they do not contribute to improved rights of all MDWs in Singapore. Instead, they increase the inequalities between the different national groups of MDWs, and they may have the effect of perpetuating Singapore’s existing policies with regard to MDWs.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their comments on earlier versions of this paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
2 Domestic work is usually classified as ‘low-skilled’ work. However, there are different assessments of the level of skill required for domestic work. Anderson (Citation2000, 12), for instance, notes that ‘domestic work is highly skilled both in terms of time management and what is actually done’.
5 Article 22 of the Declaration.
6 Section 2 (1) of the Employment Act.