Non-government organisation Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) on Sunday (13 August) denounced an employer for housing construction workers in unacceptable conditions and providing them spoiled food.

MWC teams made surprise visits past midnight on 13 Aug to apartments in Geylang housing migrant workers and gathered evidence of the poor conditions, which included signs of cockroach and bedbug infestations, overcrowding, and “filthy” sleeping quarters.

In a statement released by MWC’s chairman Yeo Guat Kwang, he said the workers’ rights body would pass its evidence to the authorities and urge stern action against the employer in order to deter other “unscrupulous and exploitative” firms.

Yeo said the visits were made at two flats in Lorongs 13 and 17 Geylang, in response to complaints made by workers. MWC had been assisting 20 Bangladeshi workers with their salary arrears claims against three related construction companies. All three companies were apparently controlled by a Bangladeshi permanent resident. These workers had complained about their accommodation and meals in the past week.

An MWC spokesperson told Yahoo News Singapore that one of the three companies is SJH Trading. She said she did not have the names of the other companies.

View photos MWC said there were tell-tale signs of bug and mite infestations at the foreign workers’ housing facilities. (Photo: MWC) More

“Unacceptably filthy”

There were tell-tale signs of bug and mite infestations in the apartments, according to MWC. There were marks on the walls that were left when bedbugs were squashed.

The teams observed that the apartments housed more than the allowed number of eight occupants per unit. Common and sleeping areas were unhygienic, with poor ventilation and circulation.

Electrical points and multi-plug extensions were overloaded, and there was no proper storage for occupants’ belongings, which were strewn around common areas.

Workers had to hang their clothes from makeshift clothes lines and nails punched into walls as no proper laundry and drying facilities were provided.

Many workers slept on the floor, including in corridors and common living areas, as proper bedding was not provided.

Yeo said the toilets and shower compartments provided at the dormitories were “unacceptably filthy”, and the facilities were inadequate as 11 to 13 occupants in each unit were sharing one toilet.

View photos Cooked food in the foreign workers’ accommodation that was packed hours before it was to be consumed. (Photo:MWC) More

Meals left to go bad, fire and health hazards

In the unit at Lorong 13 Geylang, the MWC team found that meals for the entire workforce of three companies were being prepared, sorted and packed near where the workers slept.

More than 100 packets of the day’s breakfast and lunch had already been cooked and packed for collection later, more than seven hours before consumption of breakfast, and more than 12 hours before lunch would be consumed.

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