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http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Onl...ory_345448.html When it comes to jobs, S'poreans must come first IT IS important that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) enforces stricter rules for employers that hire foreigners. I wonder if many people know that companies can also hire foreigners living here on dependants' passes by simply obtaining a Letter of Consent (LOC) from MOM. With such a letter, there is no set quota and no foreign worker levy nor CPF contribution to be paid. Some employers can take advantage of the LOC to hire foreigners instead of locals for positions that can be easily filled by Singaporeans. Shouldn't MOM look into quotas and levies for foreigners applying for work under the LOC category? Your article on tighter S-pass rules ("Does restricting foreign talent help Singaporeans?") on Saturday cites employers' comments such as Singaporeans not wanting to work for 10 to 12 hours on their feet while foreigners are willing to do so. First and foremost, should employers make their staff work for 10 to 12 hours on their feet each day? If the business operates such long hours, then there should be two shifts so that all staff work a decent eight-hour shift. Instead, the employers are exploiting foreigners who are so desperate to work here that they are willing to work for 10 to 12 hours, and without overtime pay too. We certainly do not want to eliminate foreign talent; we just want to make sure that Singaporeans are given priority when jobs become available. In order to do this, the Government must ensure that hiring foreigners doesn't become so easy that employers bypass Singaporeans when looking for employees. --- I also strongly feel that the Government should not give Jobs Credit wage subsidies to companies that employ more foreigners than Singaporeans, especially if they have retrenched their local employees while keeping their foreign workers. We must send out a clear message to employers that Singaporeans should come first. Koh Guek Choo (Ms)