Story by Andrew Loh / Pictures by Mervin Lee & Kenneth Tham
On 22 January, the Straits Times carried a report headlined, “Workers move out of Tagore dormitory”. It reported that the dormitory at 468 Tagore Industrial Avenue, which housed several hundred Bangladeshi workers, had been “cleared out” after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had found it to be “non-compliant”. The men were moved to a dormitory at Seletar Farmway, the report said.
On 24 January, a group of Singaporeans, who called themselves “Friends In Charity”, was giving out foodstuff to migrant workers at Desker Road in Little India. The members told The Online Citizen (TOC) that they are professionals, executives and ordinary Singaporeans who just wanted to provide help to those in need. Migrant workers were just one of the groups they were helping. As the afternoon wore on, more foreign workers came to collect the handouts.
Shajul, one of the volunteers, then introduced me to a group of 12 Bangladeshi workers who was also there for the foodstuff. I recognized some of the faces in that group, I thought. Then I realized that I had met them at the dormitory at 468 Tagore Industrial Estate – the very same dormitory which the Straits Times reported on. Why were these workers there at Little India, I wondered. They should be at Seletar Farmway.
As I spoke to them, I learned that although most of the workers at 468 had been moved to Seletar, some of them (30, I am told), were not. I asked why. The workers told me that those who went to Seletar were from a different company, Gates Offshore and Goldrich Venture, while they were from PA Services. I was bewildered to learn of this. I asked where they were staying. They told me that they were living in hostels in Little India. As I probed further, I learned that they were given $210 each and were asked to look for their own lodging for the next 21 days. “Why 21 days?” I asked. They explained that MOM had given them 21 days to look for a new employer. Failing that, they would be sent home.
The special pass issued to them expires on 12 February and they are desperate to find a new employer.
The $210 went to paying for the hostel, which cost them $8 to $10 each per day. They would have no money for anything else, including food. That was why they were at Desker Road for the handouts from Friends In Charity. “Only sleeping money,” Israfil, 25, told me. “Makan money no give,” he added. (“Makan” is Malay for “eat” or “food”.)
I wondered how they were going to find an employer on their own, given that they do not know Singapore very well, cannot speak English and do not even have money for transport.
As I was speaking with the workers from 468, I was informed that another group of Bangladeshi workers were there as well for the handouts – this group was from a dormitory in Geylang, Lorong 31. They told me of their situation and urged me to visit their dorm. (Their story, which included an encounter I had with their supervisor late in the night, will be in a separate report.)
Thus began a night of visiting their quarters – and seeing the squalid conditions they were subjected to.
Little India
Israfil, 25, from 468, explained to me that there were 30 of them staying in various hostels in Little India. He offered to show me where they lived. They have been in Singapore for seven months and were supposed to work in the shipyards – but they have not been given any work. The men had asked MOM to allow them to do other kinds of work, other than in the shipyards but MOM rejected this appeal, they told me. Their work permit only allows them to work in the shipyards. “We can do other jobs like cleaning, catering, sundry shops,” Shoel Mahmud, 19, said. “I asked MOM any work also can,” added Israfil, “but MOM no give.” He did not understand why MOM would reject this.
MOM, however, has put them on the TJS – Temporary Job Scheme – where the workers could work for other employers. The problem with this, the men explained, is that there are many unemployed workers on the scheme. MOM has also told them to go to the ministry building every Friday so that prospective employers could employ them. “Nobody take,” Israfil said. “They come take 4 people, 5 people. Other no take. No job.” Even if they were “taken” by the employers, they would be hired on a day to day basis and be paid a daily-rated salary. For these 468 workers, they would have only two or three Fridays to find an employer through the TJS.
They have also gone for interviews with various shipyards, arranged by MOM, but they have not been successful. “The interview is just a show,” Israfil said. “They don’t give work.”
As we arrived at the first dormitory, I was led up a very narrow stairway. At the top of the stairs, a single door. Open that and all you see is an even narrower hallway, parting four rooms – two on each side. The floor is dirty, the walls stained, and there is a rather metallic smell in the air. I asked Israfil what that was. “Kill bugs,” he said. He explained that anti-bacteria, anti-bug sprays are used each day to get rid of the pests. Hence, the odour. I wondered about toxicity and how they could sleep at night with such odour.
As I entered one of the rooms, the first thing you notice is how cramped it was. The room measured, as far as I could estimate, about 4m by 5m. In that small space, three double-decker beds were in place, allowing six men to sleep in them. Out of curiosity, I asked how many men slept in there. “Eight,” Israfil smiled and told me. Two men would sleep on the floor.
There were no cupboards or drawers for their belongings, something which I have observed in all the dormitories – even those which held hundreds of men. There were no windows for ventilation, resulting in damp and stale air in the rooms.
There was one toilet shared by all, and one shower, also shared by everyone. Both of them were in atrocious conditions.
As we left to visit another dormitory around the area where the rest of the men were staying, I couldn’t help but think that perhaps these men were better off being left at 468, Tagore Industrial Estate, bad as that dormitory was.
But to their credit, the men did not complain about their living conditions.
They just wanted to work – but seemed to have been forgotten and forsaken by their employer, after having paid thousands of dollars to come to Singapore.
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Slavery is not just something we read in history books…
Bonded labour today = slaves of yester-years.
Just another tactic of pushing away responsibility, so when 21 days is up, its no longer the employer’s problem, it becomes their own problem to face the MOM. Very smart move indeed.
I thought labour laws require employers to look out for the well-being of the foreign workers. So, money should be provided for food and rent. The workers ought to be getting at least S$20/day.
Again we see the flaw in our work permit system. Work permit should only be granted after the employer (not agent) can demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that a job exists for the person in a specific company. Giving work permits away losely only lead to our current situations, and to me the worst thing is that this leads to human suffering as we are all witnessing now. The main motive, for what I can see, is that flooding the market with work permit holders simply mean over supply and therefore supress the price – cost cutting!
Thanks to Andrew for exposing what the main stream media and the civil servants and politicians try very hard to hide from us.
Pressure must be applied for changes to take place – no more unnecessary human suffering in the name of cost cutting!
You see, first our system has problem.
second, the origin of the country, the agent got problem.
Third, the employer got problem.
Fourth, the local agent got problem.
If they are forced to one corner, cirme rate will definitely increase.
damn sad. MOM collects levy and do squat. These people should be allowed to work in other areas, and all future work permits frozen by MOM until all this backlog is cleared up, or workers resettled to other areas.
Guess it is easier for MOM and all Perm Sacks to plan for long holidays than clearing up this shit. MOM makes more money by bringing in more workers and sendig these current workers off.
Churning – like all snake oil salesmen, MOM Worse than Gangsters, Take foreign worker levy (protection money) and fail to protect them.
Our ministers and perm secs are the highest paid in the world yet they didn’t forsee the unemployment problems coming. If the PAP had listened to the ground during the past few years when many citizens are without jobs and money they should have stopped issuing more work permits. There are many citizens between 60 and 70 years old who are willing to work but lose out to younger PRs & foreigners. Some have exhausted their CPF & savings and have only their HBD flat left. Time for these highly paid scholars & ministers to solve these senior citizens’ problems before they create more sensational news.
Read CIA country report on foreign workers in Singapore – way back in 1998/99…subject already highlighted……
TOC have done a great job interviewing these foreign workers. All that said of visit i had personally seen, there are worse stories to tell but this is not my case. TOC should dig deeper in why MOM classify 468 TIA as “non-compliant”. TOC should dig deeper as to how come a “non-compliant” place can have so many workers living there. TOC have not dug deep enough to find out who was the Ownerof the premises and why would someone daring allow such an activity to be carried out on his or her premises. TOC to recall MHA jailed an old lady for giving shelter to an illegal workers. 468 TIA is not about illegal workers. 468 TIA is about an daring Owner willing to take such risk in the context of a strong-arm policing Singapore. Frankly there is no shock about MOM chasing the worker out – have TOC asked were the Owners taken to task? Were the Owner asked to go police station to explain why were there workers in his or her premises? Are the police taking action. What is the police stand in all these. There were virtually no mentioned of POLICE action aganist the Owner – WHY? Have TOC asked this question. Is it a situation where crime were not committed? This is too minor an issue? I would sue the Owner for the if it was my brother who died there for running an illegal dormitory? Why was there a disquiet on action taken by the Police Force against the Owner?
For those who had been in this workers dorm business, they will get to hear this. Man dressed with thick gold bangers and gold rolex watch will tell you – i can get MOM permit easily to run a dormitory – i have connection inside MOM. Dont care about URA or other department – all we need is MOM to agree.
Is there a link for Gates or Venture to have seek that sort of avenue to illegally run the 468 TIA as dormitory in the first place. The man who run Gates or Venture must be brought in by the Police force for questioning. Why is there a disquiet on what action taken by the POLICE to kill such illegal activities? Why are the POLICE weak in this area. WHY are there still such gold rolex man purveying such illegal activities. My theory to TOC is becos the POLICE had not taken a strong-arm action… Everybody is into making monies… it such a good time.. My personal opinion is TOC can do better to nick the bud of the problems .. rally for strong POLICE action against such opportunitist.. hunt down inside link with MOM which gives these Rolex man such boldness in carrying out such illegal business ; hunt down Owners like the one in 468 TIA who willing allow prostiution of his or her premises for such illegal purposes.
TOC – i had seen enough of such premises, some are run by creditable construction firms. While living condition needs to be improved.. dont be misled the hunt should be against the illegal operators who are opportunist out to make quick buck at the expense of these guys who need a premises.
WHERE is the POLICE stand on this case????
wow, TOC and MSM focusing on foreign talents.
In this ricebowl crisis, makes me sympathise them.
Can an employer whose company is ‘blacklisted’ register a new company and get away with the blacklisting?
As far as I know, recall the orchard road area camera shops which got blacklisted for cheating tourists, i heard some of them register new companies.
in pro business country, would this be possible?
TOC report says: They have also gone for interviews with various shipyards, arranged by MOM, but they have not been successful. “The interview is just a show,” Israfil said. “They don’t give work.”
Shipyards must be mad to take in these workers. Why should they? The going rate for a Bangladeshi worker from home country to work in a shipyard here is from $6000 to 8000. That is to say the worker has to pay this amount up front to “middlemen with connections to top people in the shipyards” to land the job. Sometimes larger part of the money is collected at home country with the balance to be deducted from the worker’s salary here. Taking the mean figure of $7,000 per worker, the amount collected from 468 workers will be a staggering loot of $3,276,000 to share among these crocodiles. This is the ground reality.
It could be that the CEO’s of these shipyards may not know what is being done by their human resource people behind their back. MOM should write to them direct to provide the workers the necessary training with funding from the Ministry. If need be the training cost can be deducted from the worker’s salary subsequently. The worker will only be too glad to accept this term, I am sure.
MOM should also look into doing some sting operations to wipe out these disgraceful rackets which pauperises the helpless workers and bring very bad name to Singapore
9) A-PLEN on January 31st, 2009 9.26 pm
WHERE is the POLICE stand on this case????
………………………………………….
My friend A-PLEN, you giving the POLICE a big headache. Remember the ‘white elephant’ episode? They didn’t take action against the grassroot leaders and kenna whacked by the non-PAP public. Then the POLICE warned some school girls for wearing ‘white elephants’ T-shirts but was scolded by WKS after some negative feedback from the public.
When the people of Singapore including the POLICE are over controlled, they don’t know how to act without proper instructions. When the PAP said, ‘Don’t trust the Opposition parties’ 66% of the population acted accordingly. That is why they could win 98% of the seats while the opposition parties got only 2 seats with 33% of the votes.
The problems of the foreign workers as stated by the toc report and by the commentators to this report are not being dealt with in the Employment Act.
This is an old law. When it was passed and that was a long time ago there were few or no crocodiles to eat up the foreign workers.
And I wonder if there had been any amendments to this act.
From then till now none of the people in MOM, the Perm Sacks and pap felt sorry and compasionate to the foreign workers. Just bo chap.
Just collect the levy. Bo chap about the country’s reputation. Bo chap the CIA’s report. Just obsessed with money collection – money and money.
One way to solve this problem is to have laws that severely punish (incl caning) the rotten middlemen and employers.
Caning might do the trick. After all the pap is so fond of this. Now is the time for you pap to show that you mean what you say and that you do not just all talk and no do and that you are a paper tiger. You are already a paper tiger.
Why no introduction of amendments to solve this problem? You just want to collect more money?
Its a shame that the current living conditions is not much better than Tagore Lane.
Who is responsible for all these?
What if fire was to break out in one of the living quarters? Is there any fire safety consideration when we housed so many of them in a small room? Does the authorities have to wait till things to happen before actions can be taken?
I still believed that the problem lies between the MOM and the local agents. MOM should have been able to anticipate the reduction in foreign workers months before the slump. There should be more communication between MOM and the agents. It is irresponsible to 21days extended pass and leave it to the workers to find new jobs.
I truly hope that the relevant authorities can help more.
Disgusted.
The employer who broght them in should pay for their air-tickets to return to their own country.