Migrant Worker Forced to Sleep at AMK Void Deck After a Dispute With His Boss

Last Updated on 2023-05-16 , 11:40 am

According to a witness, a foreign worker has been spotted sleeping on the ground floor of Block 137, Lorong Aso, Hougang, on weekends. 

The worker, identified as 46-year-old Mr Chen Youhong, has allegedly been forced to sleep at the void deck due to disputes with his previous company and issues with his new accommodation arrangements. 

Mr Chen claims that his company changed his accommodations after he resigned from his previous job.

Instead of a new dormitory, he found a temple at the location provided and was thus forced to sleep on the street for two nights on 6 and 7 May 2023. 

Concerned about his situation, the witness reported the matter to the police.

Forced to Sleep On the Streets After Disputes With Previous Company

According to Mr Chen, who was noted to be frowning while describing his difficult situation, his previous company had not arranged enough slots for him to work.

As such, he has no stable income as he cannot work daily.

Due to the mismatch in expectations, he eventually applied for a resignation from his previous company. 

After his resignation, his boss asked him to move from his current dormitory in Choa Chu Kang to a new dormitory in Hougang, claiming that it was a routine arrangement and that the company would provide transportation for the move. 

However, Mr Chen was sceptical and decided to take a personal car ride to the new location on 6 May 2023, fearing that he might be forced into returning to his home country in China if he followed his boss’s arrangements. 

Was Not Allowed in New Dormitory 

Upon arriving at the address provided, he only found a temple and attempted to reach the dormitory manager by phone as he could not locate the dormitory anywhere.

As he did not receive any response from the manager, Mr Chen eventually contacted the police, who were able to get in touch with the dormitory manager.

Mr Chen later discovered that the dormitory was located on a fenced-off construction site opposite the temple but was informed that he could not enter the dormitory on weekends. 

He accused the manager of making things difficult for him by not allowing him to stay in the dormitory despite providing him with the address in the first place.

However, according to Mr Li, the dormitory manager, he did not deliberately ignore Mr Chen’s call but was occupied with dinner with friends. 

He explained that he had arranged for Mr Chen to check in to the Hougang dormitory on weekdays, either on 3 or 5 May 2023, but Mr Chen chose to arrive on the weekend of 6 May 2023, missing the check-in time.

Furthermore, Mr Li mentioned that the dormitory administrator is absent on weekends, so they could not open the door for Mr Chen. 

As a result, Mr Chen had to sleep at the void deck of the Hougang HDB block instead.

Migrant Worker Quoted Low Salary in Job Contract

Other than quoting grievances related to his accommodation, Mr Chen claimed that his wages were cut in half in April 2023.

He stated that after submitting his resignation, his hourly wage of $11 was reduced to $7.50. 

Moreover, his boss informed him that accommodation and tool expenses would be deducted from his salary, reducing his original salary of $1,300 to a meagre sum of $515.

According to Mr Chen, this sudden reduction in his salary was likely done out of spite, as his boss had earlier promised to calculate his work at $11 per hour. 

Mr Guo, his boss, refuted these claims, stating that the salary of $7.50 was clearly stated in Mr Chen’s original contract and was not a “sudden change,” as he claimed.

Furthermore, Mr Guo stated that Mr Chen frequently expressed dissatisfaction with the hard work assigned to him and even fought with the foreman during his working hours at construction sites as he thought the foreman was rude.

While it remains unclear who is right or wrong regarding the claims about Mr Chen’s original contract, Mr Chen asserted that his disagreement with the foreman occurred several years ago and is unrelated to his present predicament.

Migrant Worker Finally Entered Dormitory With Help

Residents nearby showed kindness and sympathy towards Mr Chen’s situation, providing him with food, offering to charge his phone, and even offering fresh clothes for him to change into as it rained over the weekend. 

He was initially barred from entering on the morning of 8 May 2023 as the dormitory administrator said his name was not in the system.

However, after Lianhe Zaobao contacted Mr Li, Mr Chen could finally move smoothly into the new dormitory. 

According to Mr Chen, he first came to work in Singapore in 2008 while his wife and 17-year-old son stayed in China. 

Now, he waits for his boss to pay the rest of his salary before returning home.

Mistreatment of Migrant Workers in Singapore

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported in 2019 that there were 1,427,500 migrant workers in Singapore, making up 38% of the labour force, to fulfil the needs of industries such as domestic work, building and infrastructure, and ship repair and construction.

Despite the large number of migrant workers in Singapore and our frequent interactions with them, Mr Chen’s situation is not unique in Singapore regarding the mistreatment of migrant workers. 

On October 2022, Shanghai Chong Kee’s migrant workers had to spend their own savings on food and transportation, which the company typically covers.

As a result, they staged a protest on 18 October 2022 outside a building in Ang Mo Kio to express the unfairness of the situation.

Ms Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, the ILO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, believes that there is still much work to be done to ensure that migrant workers are granted fair rights, including transparency in their salaries.

Research carried out by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) on Bangladeshi conservancy workers revealed that they had low monthly wages of under $800, even though they worked long 12-hour shifts and had little rest, even on public holidays.

HOME suggested that the Progressive Wage Model cover some of these workers, as they have little bargaining power and are at risk of exploitation.

It was also pointed out that while legislation has been strengthened to address workers’ welfare issues over the years, errant employers often find ways to circumvent these laws.

Therefore, it is crucial to find more comprehensive and systemic ways to improve the protection and welfare of migrant workers.