Stepping into his new home on Monday (Feb 20), migrant worker Khan* was shocked at what he saw. The chipped floors and damaged overhead fans aside, 25 other workers were allegedly cramped into the same room.
But the worst part about living in the “overcrowded” dormitory in the Jurong industrial estate was the toilets, the 27-year-old Bangladeshi national told AsiaOne on Wednesday.
Khan, who’s been working in Singapore for seven years, said: “There’s no door [to partition] the sleeping area and toilets.
“It smells bad since so many people urinate in there. Even when we flush and flush, [the room] smells like sewage,” the migrant worker said.
‘We want to be treated like humans, not dogs’
Faced with the “nasty” living environment for days, Khan shared that he and his roommates tried to make life there bearable.
There has been no issues with pest infestation since none of the residents brought food waste into the room, he added.
But Khan shared that living in packed dorm means enduring sleepless nights after working for 17 hours – from 5am to 10pm – every day.
The residents who wash and dry their clothes late into the night also contributed to the noise, according to the migrant worker.
Khan said: “We want to be treated like humans and not dogs.
“Actually, dogs have better homes than us.”
Khan: Dorm not inspected by MOM
In a TikTok video shared by Khan on Tuesday (Feb 21), it showed Khan giving a room tour of his home away from home.
He wrote in the accompanying caption: “Dear Ministry of Manpower (MOM), please check companies who are giving the worst dormitory to their hardworking workers.
“Toilet is open and [leading] straight to the bedrooms that are way too overcrowded.”
In the comments, several netizens were shocked by the living conditions in the dormitory.
PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/Skhanvxwnw1
But several netizens pointed out that Khan is ungrateful even when he has “a roof over his head”.
PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/Skhanvxwnw1
Speaking to AsiaOne, the migrant worker shared that the room he’s living in was never inspected by MOM “as far as he knew”.
All he wants is a proper renovation to the dormitory, and “space to breathe”, Khan added.
“We work really hard during the day, so just a little bit of rest in a good place could give us more energy to keep going,” he said.
On the netizens’ comments, Khan urged those who said he’s ungrateful to try setting foot into his dormitory.
Adding how he’s yet to share about his living conditions to his loved ones in Bangladesh, Khan said: “My mother will definitely cry.”
‘Improved standards’ for new migrant worker dormitories
In Sept 2021, MOM, together with the Ministry of National Development (MND) and Ministry of Health, announced: “improved standards” for new migrant worker dormitories to “strengthen resilience against future pandemics and enhance liveability”.
The Covid-19 outbreak cast a spotlight on the often-cramped and unsanitary conditions in the dormitories that house tens of thousands of labourers from countries such as Bangladesh, India and China.
These new standards include limiting the number of residents in a room to 12, en-suite toilets, and segmentation of communal facilities for dedicated use by 120 residents per section.
The living space, excluding the shared facilities, was also increased from 3.5 to 4.2 sqm per resident.
AsiaOne has contacted MOM for comment.
*Pseudonym was used in the article to protect the identity of the individual.
