Advertisement
Singapore NGOs call for rethink of migrant workers’ salaries, health care and recruitment fees
- Improving housing conditions for migrant workers shouldn’t be the only concern – bigger challenges existed well before the current pandemic
- Exorbitant recruitment fees, low wages and poor access to health care are just some of the issues that result from discriminatory attitudes and policies
Reading Time:6 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Twelve years ago, when Dhaka-born Aarul completed his secondary school education and was about to join the Bangladesh Army, a family friend introduced him to a recruitment agent in Singapore.
The agent promised the 18-year-old an administrative job in the city state, and a S$850 (US$602) monthly salary that was 10 times what he would earn as a soldier.
But there was a catch. Aarul would have to shell out S$8,000 for his flights, an approval letter from Singapore’s Manpower Ministry and fees to both the agent and the family friend who recommended him.
Aarul’s father, a retired police officer, emptied his savings to raise the cash.
But when his son arrived in Singapore with four other Bangladeshis, they were shocked to discover they would be working on a construction site run by a Chinese-owned company.
Their basic salary was half what the agent had promised and their new employer did not provide a contract detailing their responsibilities or rights, including their right to health care.
Advertisement