And see how much coverage the 154th gave to them? Papaya MPees also rushing to help them @ speed that pink IC holders can only dream of!
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Home > Singapore > Story
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<!-- headline one : start --><TR>Help, jobless foreign workers cry
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>They turn to MOM even as two MPs plan to raise issue in Parliament </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
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Mr Nahid Rana (right) is one of eight Bangladeshi workers from a marine firm who sought help at MOM yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->DOZENS of out-of-work foreign workers turned up at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday, even as two politicians said they planned to raise in Parliament the question of how these men can enter Singapore with valid work permits but end up with no work.
When The Straits Times visited the MOM branch office in Kim Seng Road yesterday morning, eight workers from a marine firm were queueing to 'lodge a case' against their employer.
They said they had 'run away' from their Tuas dormitory to MOM because they heard that their bosses had planned to send them home to Bangladesh yesterday morning.
'We heard our tickets were ready and that a lorry would come to pick us up at 7am,' said welder Mohd Mohsin Golam, 20, who claimed that he had not worked a single day since arriving here on April 24.
'So we ran away at 6am.'
All of them have been here for between six and eight months and worked, on average, for less than two months.
They also claimed they had paid $8,000 or more to 'agents' for training, a work permit and a guaranteed job.
Most of these agents, The Straits Times understands, are Bangladeshi, but live in Singapore.
'Our group that came in early February had no work, but they still brought in more workers two months later,' said Mr Nahid Rana, 26, who was promised a job as a pipe fitter.
Other groups of workers at the MOM complex yesterday said they were there to get updates on their complaints or to look for jobs. A guard on duty there said that more than 100 such workers turn up at the office daily.
Inside the office, labourer Joynal Abedin stood in front of one counter telling the attending officer that he had worked for only two months and 17 days since arriving here on April 29.
He had been paid for the days he worked, but was hoping he could complain about being denied regular work.
'Can you give us special pass and help us look for another job,' he pleaded, crying.
'If we are sent back, we will be deep in debt,' said the labourer, who was accompanied by Mr Faruk Hossain, 37, who arrived in Singapore on the same flight and claimed he had not worked even a day.
The attending officer replied that he should go to his boss, rather than MOM, to ask for work. 'If you have worked but have not been paid, that is something you can come to us for,' she said, asking him to return later in the afternoon.
He did, and was given a letter asking him to return today with his passport to see an 'employment inspector'.
Both Mr Joynal and Mr Faruk have been drifting around Serangoon Road since leaving their dorm on Tuesday.
'We will not be able to survive if we do not recover the fees we paid,' said Mr Joynal, showing his wallet, which contained only his work permit but no money.
The sole breadwinner in a family of 12, he said he sold his bag and belt shop to pay the agent who had promised him a job in a shipyard which would pay about $900 a month.
The Straits Times could not reach the employers of both sets of workers last evening and is therefore not naming the companies involved.
When asked how workers with work permits could end up without jobs, an MOM spokesman said: 'We are checking with our colleagues for an update. It is unlikely that we can provide you with more details soon as investigations are ongoing.'
Two MPs from the Government Parliamentary Committee on Manpower, meanwhile, have called on the Bangladesh High Commission and MOM to help solve the problem.
Madam Halimah Yacob told The Straits Times that she had tabled a question in Parliament on how it was possible for manpower agencies to bring in foreign workers when they have no proper jobs and what safeguards were in place to prevent the exploitation and abuse of such workers.
'This points to the need for more effective regulation and better control in the issue of work permits by MOM,' said Madam Halimah, adding that the Bangladesh High Commission could help by providing MOM with a list of 'unscrupulous agencies' that have left the workers 'stranded'.
Her colleague from the Manpower GPC, Ms Denise Phua, agreed. The Bangladesh High Commission, she said, should 'also be the first port of call to assist their nationals'. Ms Phua, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, oversees Little India, where many of the workers have been living on the streets.
She added: 'But MOM must take action against the unscrupulous agents based here and hold them responsible for the state of affairs and penalise them accordingly.' [email protected]
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Home > Singapore > Story
</TR>
<!-- headline one : start --><TR>Help, jobless foreign workers cry
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>They turn to MOM even as two MPs plan to raise issue in Parliament </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Mr Nahid Rana (right) is one of eight Bangladeshi workers from a marine firm who sought help at MOM yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->DOZENS of out-of-work foreign workers turned up at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday, even as two politicians said they planned to raise in Parliament the question of how these men can enter Singapore with valid work permits but end up with no work.
When The Straits Times visited the MOM branch office in Kim Seng Road yesterday morning, eight workers from a marine firm were queueing to 'lodge a case' against their employer.
They said they had 'run away' from their Tuas dormitory to MOM because they heard that their bosses had planned to send them home to Bangladesh yesterday morning.
'We heard our tickets were ready and that a lorry would come to pick us up at 7am,' said welder Mohd Mohsin Golam, 20, who claimed that he had not worked a single day since arriving here on April 24.
'So we ran away at 6am.'
All of them have been here for between six and eight months and worked, on average, for less than two months.
They also claimed they had paid $8,000 or more to 'agents' for training, a work permit and a guaranteed job.
Most of these agents, The Straits Times understands, are Bangladeshi, but live in Singapore.
'Our group that came in early February had no work, but they still brought in more workers two months later,' said Mr Nahid Rana, 26, who was promised a job as a pipe fitter.
Other groups of workers at the MOM complex yesterday said they were there to get updates on their complaints or to look for jobs. A guard on duty there said that more than 100 such workers turn up at the office daily.
Inside the office, labourer Joynal Abedin stood in front of one counter telling the attending officer that he had worked for only two months and 17 days since arriving here on April 29.
He had been paid for the days he worked, but was hoping he could complain about being denied regular work.
'Can you give us special pass and help us look for another job,' he pleaded, crying.
'If we are sent back, we will be deep in debt,' said the labourer, who was accompanied by Mr Faruk Hossain, 37, who arrived in Singapore on the same flight and claimed he had not worked even a day.
The attending officer replied that he should go to his boss, rather than MOM, to ask for work. 'If you have worked but have not been paid, that is something you can come to us for,' she said, asking him to return later in the afternoon.
He did, and was given a letter asking him to return today with his passport to see an 'employment inspector'.
Both Mr Joynal and Mr Faruk have been drifting around Serangoon Road since leaving their dorm on Tuesday.
'We will not be able to survive if we do not recover the fees we paid,' said Mr Joynal, showing his wallet, which contained only his work permit but no money.
The sole breadwinner in a family of 12, he said he sold his bag and belt shop to pay the agent who had promised him a job in a shipyard which would pay about $900 a month.
The Straits Times could not reach the employers of both sets of workers last evening and is therefore not naming the companies involved.
When asked how workers with work permits could end up without jobs, an MOM spokesman said: 'We are checking with our colleagues for an update. It is unlikely that we can provide you with more details soon as investigations are ongoing.'
Two MPs from the Government Parliamentary Committee on Manpower, meanwhile, have called on the Bangladesh High Commission and MOM to help solve the problem.
Madam Halimah Yacob told The Straits Times that she had tabled a question in Parliament on how it was possible for manpower agencies to bring in foreign workers when they have no proper jobs and what safeguards were in place to prevent the exploitation and abuse of such workers.
'This points to the need for more effective regulation and better control in the issue of work permits by MOM,' said Madam Halimah, adding that the Bangladesh High Commission could help by providing MOM with a list of 'unscrupulous agencies' that have left the workers 'stranded'.
Her colleague from the Manpower GPC, Ms Denise Phua, agreed. The Bangladesh High Commission, she said, should 'also be the first port of call to assist their nationals'. Ms Phua, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, oversees Little India, where many of the workers have been living on the streets.
She added: 'But MOM must take action against the unscrupulous agents based here and hold them responsible for the state of affairs and penalise them accordingly.' [email protected]
