Friday, January 9, 2009 12:57
Sent home with S$600
In Andrew Loh, Main Stories, Top Story • 2,018 views • 39 Comments
TOC’s special focus on foreign workers. Starting next Monday, TOC will devote the entire week to the plight of foreign workers in Singapore. We will bring you stories of the Chinese and Bangladeshi workers and how they are being denied their salaries, their living conditions and what some aid workers are doing to help them.
Deborah Choo (Additional reporting by Andrew Loh. Pictures by Damien Chng.)
TOC visited the 400 workers at 468 Tagore Lane on Thursday (8 Jan, 2009) for the second time since last Saturday. 36 of the workers who made complaints to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) are to return to their country, Bangladesh. Five have already been sent back last month. The remaining 31 will be sent back next week.
The 31 workers have been in Singapore for a period of between five to seven months, and have not been provided with a job since they came here. The workers told TOC they met with MOM Deputy Director “Jenny” and another assistant on Wednesday.
Previously when they approached MOM, the same MOM Deputy Director told them that MOM “will try and find a job” for them, the workers told TOC.
Mr. Delowar Hossen (right), 30, used to be a teacher in Tangail, Bangladesh, and had earned a decent pay before he resigned to come to Singapore. He sold his family’s land and borrowed from the banks in order to raise the S$9,000 agency fees required to come over here. He is the sole bread winner of the family.
Besides the S$9,000 of debt that he has to bear, he has other debts that his family incurred during his stay in Singapore. His family now relies on loans from relatives to get by. He has not informed them that he will be returning to Bangladesh.
As promised by MOM, his employer, Gates Offshore Pte Ltd, would pay him four months of basic salary at S$16 a day, excluding Sundays.
According to what he told TOC, he would be paid about S$1,664 for the four months. However, an amount of S$200 will be deducted from this. This is a loan which PA Services had given him during his stay here when he had had no work.
Also an approximate S$130 per month for the food provided during the duration of his stay here would also have to be re-paid to his employer. This comes to S$520.
He will essentially be left with S$944 or less to bring home to Bangladesh.
MOM has, according to the workers, pledged that half of their salaries will be paid today (Friday), and the remaining half next week when they are at the airport. “They are afraid we run away [if we’re paid in full before we leave],” Delowar revealed.
*TOC has just learnt that Mr Delowar was paid S$300 this morning (Friday, 9 Jan) by his employer and will be paid another S$300 at the airport on Monday, when he leaves for home.
Conflicting statements
According to a letter to the High Commission of Bangladesh in Singapore by Gates Offshore Pte Ltd (See below), the company which officially took over responsibility of the foreign workers at 468 Tagore Industrial Avenue with effect from 11 November 2008 from one Mr Rajendra Kurusamy, the workers are to be paid a “(B) Basic wage of $17.00 per working day” and that the “(C) Workers will be paid even when they are not working on the official working day”. However, as mentioned earlier, they will only be paid $16.00 per day now.
Clause (f) also stated that, “Pay day will be on the 20th of each month”, which has also not been fulfilled since the workers have had no work given to them.
The letter made assurances on ensuring all workers will be given “good jobs within one month”, “all workers will be treated properly from now on”, and “their remaining stay in Singapore would be a happy experience”. The fact is that the workers have not been provided with any jobs for months.
In handwriting, the letter gave assurance that, “No workers will be repatriated against their free will”, and signed in acknowledgment by Mr. Paul Lee of Gates Offshore Pte Ltd.
Mr. Aulad, 35, said of the situation, “Now time is lost. I’m still not paid… All sides, no help – Singapore government, Singapore Law!”
Many of his compatriots yelled comments such as “MOM no good!” and “MOM no understand!”
Mr. Delowar said that he has only seen his original employer, Mr. Rajendra Kurusamy, once at Woodlands on the day he arrived in Singapore on 26 August, 2008. He has also not seen his new employer, Mr Paul Lee, amidst these squabbles over pay and the death of one worker who died of chicken pox two weeks ago. Mr Delowar does not have his employer’s contact number either.
The months of delayed payment has left workers resorting to drinking tap water, enduring food which is given to them twice a day (7am in the morning and 7pm in the evening) that turned bad on some occasions, and being confined to their dormitories.
Mr Delowar added that though they had seeked the Bangladeshi embassy for help, they told him that “it’s MOM’s decision.”
When asked about their future prospects, many revealed that they would most likely look for jobs in their previous professions, but added that this would not be easy. Even after having found jobs, most would spend at least two years just paying off their debts.
Mr. Aulad said, “Journalists come every day. We try to tell them. But they no help! Every day the same – no change. We still don’t get our pay. No work!”
———–
Below is an excerpt from an earlier letter from Ms Yasmin Sultana, Counsellor with the Bangladeshi High Commission.
EXCERPT OF LETTER FROM MDM YASMIN SULTANA TO P.A. SERVICES PTE LTD:
As per their written statements, after joining the company the workers are not being provided with regular work although they were promised regular jobs and salaries. It is to be noted that if they ask for work they are threatened to be sent back home. The employer and his people usually beat them up and bully them if they ask for work. The employer took signatures on blank papers to deceive the workers and as a rule to send them back to Bangladesh. Now they are in dire straits as they have invested a lot of money to come to Singapore for employment (ranging from S$8,000 to $9,000). It is to be noted that if the workers are sent back home they would face multifarious problems there and therefore they intend to continue to work here in Singapore.
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Letter by Gates Offshore Pte Ltd to the Bangladeshi High Commission in Singapore: (Click on picture to enlarge)
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39 Comments
Zefly (aka Joshua Chiang)
Damien
These people are treated like slaves.The only difference with them and real slaves are that they pay to be treated like one.
This is Human Trade in Singapore.Our very great first world city. Blatant abuse of human rights.
Universe child
Perhaps, there should be a concerted effort, a publicity campaign from welfare agencies, to inform people from developing countries about the labour conditions in Singapore: that there are no such-well paying jobs here, that there are unscrupulous employers and middle men exploiting them for cheap labour, that they should not sell their land or their few precious assets, as they will only go further in debt. The tragedy is they are already so poor, but now not only are they even poorer than before, they have also impoverished their loved ones, especially their parents, brothers and sisters, wives and children. Imagine the stress of being in a foreign land with no job, no money to send back to a sick mother, father; no money to send back to your wife and children. Not being able to see them, not being able to be with them when they die. The world’s a stage and a personal tragedy of a grand scale is unfolding.
Zefly (aka Joshua Chiang)
Seriously, this matter CANNOT rest unless the offenders are punished. It was a BREACH of contract. And at the end of the day, all PA services got away was simply PAYING the workers back their money owed in the first place.. and even that is not the full amount! Why MOM is not even hauling this Paul guy to court is beyond me. What about psychological abuse?! What about physical abuse? What about deception? ALL THESE the employers visited upon the workers. AND THEY GOT AWAY WITH IT?!!!!! MOM wake up and do your job! Please! Omg.. where’s my punching bag…
Daniel
“We can understand that some bosses will be assholes, but rather PUNISH them, MOM is merely NEGOTIATING with them?!!!!! And why isn’t there ANY penalties for the blatant breaching of contract?!!!! Why is MOM sending the whistle-blowers home? What message are they trying to send?”
Am I surprised ? Remember the same thing MAS works with FI over Minibomb saga ? Did those whistle-blowers in FI get fire too ?
gemami
What other recourse do these workers have besides MOM and their own embassy? Is there any international welfare agency that is strong enough to twist arms?
Why don’t suggest to these workers to go on a sit-down protest in Orchard Road this weekend? I am sure the govt will act immediately to save its image and reputation.
See what the Chinese nationals got when they sat in front of MOM building? Their problem was resolved within the week.
itigoti
There is a chain of middleman and agencies involved in this exploitation of foreign workers. Personally I do not think that Gate Offshores would want to go through the hassles of bringing these people here without some kind of prior agreement with employers to absorb them. Having said that, I do think that Gate Offshores ought to be taken to task and punished for their irresponsible action, leaving these workers in a dire straits.
What is MOM doing about the whole affairs ?. Nothing, it seems, other then some lip services. And of course collecting fees and levies.
hansolo
Articles like this one never mention MOM officials by their full and proper name.
FYI, there is no Deputy Director called “Jenny” in MOM. What a surprise.
Try a search yourself at http://www.sgdi.gov.sg/
It makes me wonder whether these so-called promises by MOM officials are just made-up stories by the workers.
tiredman
This problem is created by the government. Let the government do their job. TOC should focus more on Singaporeans. The poor in Singapore is already suffering. People can go without water and electricity. When we already cannot help ourselves, why others? Why should we spend effort on the problem created by the government? Let the government solve the problem.
redbean
agree, toc should spend more time and effort on singaporeans than to entangle itself with foreign interests. we can empathise with their plight and hope the honourable people will take good care of them.
children of lesser gods will always be on the wrong end of the stick. we also have children of lesser gods on home ground.
Andrew Loh
Tiredman and redbean,
I have to disagree with your views. I think that is very selfish.
These are the people who build our skyscrapers, our shopping centres and even our houses and flats.
TOC has focused on Singaporeans and indeed that remains our main focus. But foreign workers are not less deserving of our attention when they’re being exploited and ill-treated.
Andrew Loh
Andrew Loh
redbean,
“we can empathise with their plight and hope the honourable people will take good care of them.”
It is wrong to stay silent when bad things are done to others and hope that someone else will deal with it. Such attitudes are what will get us in trouble.
sarek_home
I would like to point out that these foreign workers are victims of their own government also. Their government allow agents to charge them large sum of agent fee, do not hold the agents accountable when the job arrangement goes wrong.
Did their High Commission send any one to provide legal or financial help to them? The answer is NO.
Sadly, they are powerless people mistreated by their own country as well as this host country.
dog
They plan to find ways to put their aged, poor citizens to work a few more years, after these poor folks’ children are grown. If they can be so uncivilised to their own folks why can’t MOM be so inhuman to foreign workers. Do remember that these foreign pests can easily be removed by repatriation.
sarek_home
10) redbean on January 9th, 2009 5.46 pm
agree, toc should spend more time and effort on singaporeans than to entangle itself with foreign interests
It is not foreign interests we are talking about, it is human victims and we can’t just ignore the unjust against them.
It is a matter of Singapore’s interest in reality. Think of the kind of story they tell when they get home. When Singaporeans go overseas, they will run into people to hear good things or experience bad things about Singapore. Eventually, we will eat the fruit of whatever seeds we sow.
naiche
Is TOC looking into our domestic maids issue as well? I think it certainly deserve some attention too.
pigscanfly
i agree with sarek_home in that we can’t just ignore the plight of these foreign workers. i’ve thot abt it for some time already, given that there are also some singaporeans who are in dire need of help.
the thing is, we’ve got to realize that this foreign worker incident is actually a wedge that activists can use to open up pandora’s box in sg. when you can showcase such blatant flouting of laws, ASSISTED or IGNORED by our gahmen, you can imagine how ‘world-class’ Singapore INC has become.
human rights are indeed universal.
Weaskforit
Andrew and all at TOC, with all due respect, just what will ALL these noises do to the plight of the workers sent home poor and hungry? Tell me please.
I am sick to the core such things are happening here, or is it just here? I read with disgust how some domestic maids are raped, tortured in some far away land and their employers got away with nothing more than a reprimand. What fairness is there left in this sick world of ours.
And just how many more millions will die of sickness and hunger in some remote part of Africa by end of this year?
The truth is that these foreign workers, son of their homeland, have a proper consular representative here who is doing absolutely close to nothing. Wonder why their nationals get exploited? And you at TOC is making all these noises in the hope of putting things right for them? A little far fetch I should think.
The only real help TOC or all of us here can help is simply rally enough money and send each of them home with S$9,000. Other than that, all talk are just in vain, amounting to absolutely nothing.
Sorry guys, I have a lot of respect for all of you. Just put ourselves in their shoes, and we will know exactly what they NEED.
I happen to have to venture to a foreign land once, poor and hungry….so I am qualified to know how they feel. Oh God. Have mercy on them.
Ah Chong
I pitty the guy sleeping on the lower deck. must be more stuffy and warm below.
sigh….
Andrew Loh
naiche,
I would love to contact domestic maids who are in similar situations. Please email me if you know of any – theonlinecitizen@gmail.com .
Thanks.
Andrew
Andrew Loh
Weaskforit,
You asked: “Andrew and all at TOC, with all due respect, just what will ALL these noises do to the plight of the workers sent home poor and hungry?”
We can only do what we can and do it to the best of our ability.
The fact that it happens elsewhere does not mean that we be fatalistic about it when it happens here as well.
Andrew Loh
Zefly (aka Joshua Chiang)
With all due respect to people who are sick of the ‘foreign issue’ on TOC, I believe the current focus is mainly because of the peak in the number of such abuse cases. It doesn’t mean TOC is ignoring other issues. Maybe it’s a change in strategy of spending more time on one issue, analyzing the different perspectives on it, then moving on to the next issue next week. Maybe this would allow people to understand issues much better than the ‘news-of-the-day’ methods. There had been many theories that since the introduction of TV and instant news, the general public has been dumbed down a lot, because the barrage of different stories just never give anyone enough rest to ponder over any single issue. So give TOC a chance to try something different guys. They have certainly earned the right.
First we have the Minibond conjob, now theres the foreign-worker-agency fiasco..what next huh, CPF goalpost being moved again, or property hike?
smallvice585
tiredman and redbean,
if employers are treating foreign workers like dirt, what’s stopping the same employers from treating Singaporeans in the same manner? It is the perverse incentive to treat any human in such manner that we must fight against to safeguard employees from blatant abuse, foreign or local.
LESPOIR
i think, foreign workers who came to singapore should have their own rights as well.
i’ve came across blangadesh workers and had even chat with them for a few moments… some were university graduates who came over to work, hoping that they would get more than what they could get back in their own country.
however, sadly, some even said that what they are earning in singapore is equivilant to what they can earn back in their country…
i seriously think that it is unfair for them, and, they are in a serious disadvantage.
i really think that foreign workers should have better treatment than their current state is.
This episode is definitely going to make it into the US State Dept’s Trafficking of Persons report, and UN’s International Labor Organisation (ILO) reports on migrant workers. Even if the Govt doesn’t care about these poor workers, I think they should care about our national reputation. Hopefully this would be one reason for them to take errant employers to task for abusing their workers.
SS Sim
The Singapore miracle is founded on being cheap — cheap labour, cheap funding (thanks to banks literally throwing money at GLCs when times were good previously. Going forward, this is not going to be the case. makes you wonder if our wonderful GLCs will remain viable).
If we want to be a first world country as claimed by our Ministers, we should institute a minimum wage. Countries like the US, UK, AUstralia, Sweden etc — all first world countries we benchmark ourselves to — have minimum wages. They dont treat their own citizens like this and certainly do not bring in workers from third world countries under such terms and conditions.
SO much for being first world. First world joke, maybe. First world salaries for ministers, MPs, Army, civil servants etc, YES
SZ
Mmm….just wondering, but is it possible to inform HRW regarding this? maybe they can help us to bring even more awareness internationally.
chiam chee loong
18) Weaskforit on January 9th, 2009 11.02 pm
I feel that no matter how good info this blog provides, it cannot and will not be able to attract those not concerned about the policies they live under.
these are commonly known as the Apathetics and they are the majority , in my humble opinion based on the number of views / reads / comments found in this blog. 4.5 million vs a few k.
hohapata tariana hoi hoi
Based on my experiences with MOM it is on the side of employers.
Once MOM classified my quarrel with SICC, the greatest country club in our island Paradise as a dispute and I was given a blue slip. Then SICC very pai seh and malu to go to the Labour Court and used all its contacts to try to get me to accept a sum of money that is only slilighty more than its liability and which is my claim. I am not that stupid or idiotic and I said to the MOM officer during a four eyes meeting that let SICC pay me Sing 5000 and everything is forgotten and we good friends again. The MOM officer said Sing 500 but I will have to refer to SICC for confirmation.
At the end of it I went to the toilet and the head of MOM was beside me and he too was taking a good pee. During our pee he made his pitch and urged me to go for a out of court settlement. What a great pee coincidence and two men making a ritual and one party making a pitch and I believe on behalf of his master.
I no stupid. I was more determined than ever. Fight to the end. The bigger they are the harder they fall. This was not lost to me and it is uppermost in my mind.
Go Go Go to court. Die Die in court. Fight to the end. Hohapata you can die, but once, and you can die with a smile on your face.
I won my case in court.
SICC very malu. Even manipulated the press.
You see toc buddies I called all the papers, tv and even foreign news agencies to come to my court session and especially the last one when the labour judge gives the verdict and is who is the winner and who is the loser. They came. All the big names from the press fraternity. Then what happen? The ones that came were told not to publish. Then they call one Malay reporter from the Straits Times to contact me and this is the paper that did not send any reporter to cover this court case. I no stupid again as I anticipate that the people who do the manipulation know that I speak Malay like a Malay from Kedah and so they call this Melayu to interview me by phone.
I told him the truth. On the next day my story had eight paragraphs in the Sunday Times, albeit in a very low key fashion. That is the manipulation, to be sure of low key reporting. I should know about this as I used to report for The Star and Bernama.
It has taken me a long time to come to the ‘point’ but I swear I am not trying to sidetrack you. MOM is forever on the side of the employer. My case happened 12 years ago and it has not changed. Instead, they have deteriorated.
So, the case of the poor Bangladesh workers shows that it will persist and will go on and on. And now the MOM officers are dead scared of their lives and so they have fictitious names and I bet they live very quiet lives. Hiding. Come on there is nowhere to hide because you will be spotted and that will happen, sooner or later. I bet they might get bashed up and whose fault is it?
Agree with Andrew
we need to know that how we help the poorest of our friends defines the tone of the country, of its citizens.
Keep up the good work and pressure on the necessary ministries t ensure no one is left behind.
If no one helps the poor migrant, no one will help the fallen Singaporeans when it is our turn.
Thank you TOC.
gerald koo lan p
instead of writing for lowest paid singapore citizens, TOC chose to focus on foreigners instead, over and over again.
i wonder why.
smallvice585
gerald koo (#32),
These foreign workers are responsible for wage depression in Singapore. You raise the working conditions and salary standards for these foreign workers, you also alleviate the wage depression situation in Singapore too. This is because these foreign workers compete with Singaporeans in the same local labour market. It is a win-win situation for Singaporeans and foreigners.
The first picture is amazing. Never knew that their quarters look like that. SAF’s living quarters are like condominiums in comparison.
Gilbert Goh
I agreed that we should champion such FW plight as it s a clear cut lesson of human exploitation.
Who will want to carry bricks for less than $20 a day for ten hours here? The govt clearly has allowed such modern day slavery in materialistic Singapore so that companies can build our skyscrapers at a low cost to maximise profits. They then make billions out of either reting or selling them out to others. Our govt also can grow it’s GDP.
Developed countries like Australia, US and Britian won;t allow such slavery to take place let alone legalising it. It may happen there though but illegally.
I only hope that we won’t reap what we have sown.
I am happy to read today ST that Tipper and others will be brought to court for ill-treating their foreign workers.
MOM has screwed up big time these few years in the FW issue and unless Mr Gan (Acting Mapower minister) does something radical, the paradox box of worms may be opened for all to see.
bernard chan
This living quarter is a potential fire trap.
The beds are so close together. If there is afire at night…the smoke and total darkness and the narrow space create a certain death trap for these 400 wokers.
If one would look at the fire exits, I am pretty sure they are either block by chairs, tables and boxes or there are only narrow space between the beds and the fire exits.
Just imagine, if there is a fire and 100 of them are dead.
I am sure other domitories in Singapore could be worse.
angry_one
To those who bemoan how news like this are not as important as those covering Singaporeans’ plight.
To defend the rights of these workers will BENEFIT locals in the end. In many cases, even up to the level of mid-level managers, the only reason employers take foreigners over locals is cost, and no avenue to voice grievances. Once this is gone, there is no more reason to hire a foreigner over a local.
“I hope Singapore government punish them” : The Online Citizen - a community of singaporeans
[...] Sent home with $600 by Deborah Choo. [...]
A 19th century page from a 21st century draft : The Online Citizen - a community of singaporeans
[...] Sent home with $600 by Deborah Choo. [...]
My God, Andrew this is even more outrageous than I thought…
We can understand that some bosses will be assholes, but rather PUNISH them, MOM is merely NEGOTIATING with them?!!!!! And why isn’t there ANY penalties for the blatant breaching of contract?!!!! Why is MOM sending the whistle-blowers home? What message are they trying to send? Maybe we should ask every single MOM staff to live a day at the dorm, paid the same (ie no money) and see if they think what they have done is fair. This is far from fair.
I shake my head in disbelief.