Director & Dormitory Operator Charged for Dormitories That’s So Filthy, Cockroaches Were Found Everywhere

Insects are my nemesis, though I may appear to be a rugged muscular man with a will of steel and indomitable spirit, happy to take on any challenge despite the difficulties.

(I’m actually just a fat boi, but I’m telling a narrative here.)

Put cockroach into any sentence, and I’m a 5-year-old girl screaming for help.

In searching for a suitable cockroach gif, I found myself carefully watching under the table and being ultra-sensitive to movements while writing. I also took breaks to take 2 full showers (jk, our office building not atas enough to have shower cubicles) before continuing writing.

So, here’s the best cockroach gif I found that isn’t completely disgusting.

Actually, this gif may have made me even more terrified of cockroaches. But anyway, you know who have to live in constant fear of cockroaches?

Foreign workers at 4 dormitories under Labourtel Management Corporation.

Dormitory Operator and Director facing 10 and 6 charges

So let’s start with the result: The operator Labourtel Managment Corporation and its director, Parvis Ahamed, are creating history by being the first in foreign worker welfare.

By first, I mean the first company and individual that failed to comply to the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act 2015 (FEDA) regulating the management of large dormitories with 1,000 beds or more.

They will be facing charges for failing to provide suitable living conditions for thousands of foreign workers, though the court case has been adjourned to 1 August 2019.

If convicted, they can be fined up to S$50,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 12 months for each offense. Which, assuming 1 charge = 1 offence, 16*50,000= S$800,000, unless I’m looking at this wrongly.

According to MES’s website, there are 24,000 migrant workers in the dorms.

Is it fair that that is basically S$800,000/24,000 = S$33.33 maximum penalty per person? I don’t know, you tell me.

Shit show in the dormitories

According to the Ministry of Manpower, they conducted an inspection at 4 purpose-built dormitories managed by Labourtel: Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1 and 2, Blue Stars Dormitory and The Leo.

Basically, the ones under MESGroup.

I’m not sure how the conditions are like after, but the offences were said to be committed between Nov 2017 and Jan 2019.

As much as the cockroach gif showed that cockroaches can party, it is highly unlikely that cockroaches were part of the tenant agreement and lived in harmony with the migrant workers.

Nay, cockroaches were found in the rooms, that were “filthy and unacceptable”. The dormitories were poorly maintained with light fixtures missing or damaged, shower taps faulty and railings and staircases corroded.

How the hell do you have corroded staircases?

As if it’s not enough of a shit show, shower points are also not partitioned, and mechanical ventilation is not present even with inadequate natural ventilation.

What’s this? Even BMT recruits are treated better, and they’re not supposed to be humans.

As for why there aren’t any pictures of the actual dorms? Well, the original news didn’t have any either. For an idea of what it might look like, you can read our article we covered on another dormitory.

Or don’t, because we are here to bring you sunshine and rainbows, not a lost faith in humanity.

Sunshine and rainbows… like the Google Reviews

If the people at MES were competent at something, it would be digital marketing and certainly not property management. Because the Google Reviews at their dormitories can only be described as godly.

Take a look at The Leo, which actually got awarded BCA Greenmark Gold Plus award for eco-friendly functionality. It got 4.2/5 with 26 reviews. Blue Stars got 4.2/5 with 71 reviews, and Jurong Penjuru got 4.0/5 with 100 reviews.

With reviews saying “most advanced form in Singapore”, never failing to mention that “management is always assisting and helpful”, “step up from army camp”, you have to wonder if they have something to gain from these reviews and who these reviewers are.

But dig a little deeper and you have some reviews that might be a little concerning.

Yes, that’s a review literally just saying “Do not come here” with a wide-shot view of the place. That’s the review I imagine someone escaping away on a helicopter from a zombie infested island might write.