Run by Law Society Pro Bono Services , the clinic at Angullia Mosque in Little India is held on alternate Sundays and is open to foreign workers of all religions, with interpretation services for such languages as Hindi, Bengali and Tamil.
Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad, the guest of honour, said officers from the Ministry of Manpower's Assurance, Care and Engagement group will be stationed at the clinic. Clinics run by the LSPBS have assisted more than 260 workers, he added, citing an example of a site supervisor who was denied overtime pay. With the help of pro bono lawyers, the case was eventually ruled in favour of the worker, with his employer ordered to pay him the owed salary.
Mr Muhammed Ismail Noordin, senior associate at law firm Wong Partnership, pitched the idea to open a legal clinic for migrant workers after a worker facing a salary dispute asked him for help at the mosque last year. As LSPBS' first on-site legal clinic since the pandemic, it adds to the organisation's list of legal representation options for the needy, including the Ad Hoc Pro Bono Scheme and Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.
He added:"The workers are often very shy and I have noticed you have to probe them for some time before the full story comes out. And you need trust to do so.