Singapur - Intimidation and harassment (2013)

On 26 November 2012, 100 Chinese bus drivers organised a strike demanding equal pay and payment for overtime work. The Singaporean authorities decided to deport 29 of them and prosecute five others. Four of them were released on bail, while one was convicted and received a six week prison sentence. The four drivers who were released on bail, as well as human rights defenders assisting them, reported being followed by Singapore’s internal security department on several occasions over the two months that followed. They filed a police report on the matter in January 2013, but no action was taken to stop the intimidation. Two of them also reported that they had been ill-treated. The government argued that the work stoppage was an illegal strike in an essential public service. However, the ILO has determined that bus transportation is not an essential service.