I‘m sure that at some point in your life, you’ll have heard of the phrase ‘packed like sardines’.
For those unaware of its literal meaning, however, the phrase suggests just that: being crammed together so tightly that you feel like a sardine in a tin.
Yet, even though we hear and preach the phrase routinely, real-life scenarios are far and in between, with perhaps only train and bus rides during peak hours to fulfil such visualisations.
The majority of Singaporeans, however, will have avoided such a terrible fate while growing up, safe in the comfort of their spacious homes.
But the fact remains that there are people living through such hellish conditions, even here in sunny Singapore. And as this article topic reminds us…
It could’ve been happening right under our noses all the while.
Bosses House 66 Foreign Workers into a Shophouse That Can Only Fit 8 People
According to Channel NewsAsia, two construction company directors have been penalised for keeping foreign workers in a “severely overcrowded” illegal dormitory.
In a joint media statement released on Tuesday (23 April), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) expressed that the actions of 48-year-old Shi Baoyi and 55-year-old Chen Ming, directors of construction companies Genocean Enterprises and Genocean Construction, saw a whopping 66 foreign workers stuffed into an adjoining shophouse in Geylang.
The property was reported to have an occupancy cap of just eight persons.
Having rented two adjoining shophouses at Lorong 14 Geylang in January 2015 on a 12-month tenancy agreement, the construction companies then converted the property into an illegal dormitory, where 66 foreign workers had to live in.
Bed spaces were added to lodge the workers, who reportedly lived in “severely overcrowded with crammed and unsanitary living conditions”.
Heck, suddenly staying in a jungle for outfield training sounds better.
Makeshift clothing lines
URA officers supposedly found 17 rooms with 116 bed spaces in the premises, according to URA’s statement of facts to court. At full occupancy, each occupant in the premise had around 2.57 sq m of space for themselves.
The workers had constructed makeshift clothing lines along the side of their bed, or on the ceiling of each room. Electrical appliances were also placed near beds, creating potential fire hazards.
By the time the firm and the directors were inspected on 13 April,2015, the foreign workers have been staying in such cramped conditions for around 3.5 months.
The directors allegedly managed to save around S$27,230 to S$84,980 via such housing methods.
And there’s more
Separately, Shi had reportedly allowed his company to illegally accommodate another 15 foreign workers in another overcrowded property at Geylang Road between July and August 2016.
Investigations also revealed that Shi, Chen and Genocean Enterprises had turned a third property at Lorong Kismis, a walk-up apartment, into a non-permitted worker’s dormitory between June and July 2015.
Shi, Chen and Genocean Enterprises were eventually fined a combined S$257,000 for their various offences.
Genocean Enterprises and Genocean Construction have also been barred from hiring foreign workers.
Well, they saved $24,980 and were fined $257,000. So moral of the story? Don’t test the system.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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