Welcome Home !!!

Members Login

Post Info

TOPIC: Migrant workers' recreation centre opens at Penjuru

ProTaxi

Senior Guru

Status: Offline

Posts: 4011

Date: Sun Dec 16 10:06 PM, 2012

Migrant workers' recreation centre opens at Penjuru

Permalink

Simpang Lodge 2 is an approved housing by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Building Control Authority (BCA) in Singapore.

Our dormitory was set up with the vision to provide top quality dormitories highly conducive living environment for foreign workers’ working in Singapore.

At Simpang Lodge 2, we provide safe, hygienic and one-stop accommodation that will make them feel at home. Simpang Lodge 2 is jointly built and

managed by Hi-Tek Construction Pte Ltd and Right Construction Pte Ltd. Our organisation comprises of a group of companies, started its operation in

Singapore since year 1980s.Having more than decades of experience in construction industry in Singapore, Hi-Tek Construction Pte Ltd and

Right Construction Pte Ltd, have developed significant number of projects in Singapore including residential and commercial.

At Simpang Lodge 2, we are committed in providing a comfortable, secure, hygienic and harmonious living environment to the foreign workers who stay in our dormitory.

AMENITIES AND LOCATION

Our dormitory is conveniently located at 2C, Yishun Ave 7 (PC 768930).

It consists of:

· 9 blocks of 4 storey workers dormitory

· 1 block of 3 storey admin block with ancillary offices and facilities.

The total combined capacity of these blocks can house up to 9000 workers. Each room has a spacious floor area of 48m²which can accommodate 12 workers comfortably.

At Simpang Lodge 2, apart from providing comfortable and hygienic accommodation to meet our foreign workers needs, we also help in taking care of their wellbeing. Therefore, our dormitory is well equipped with

· Surveillance CCTV for the safety and security of the foreign workers

· Gymnasium with various gym equipments

· Air-conditioned reading rooms

· Air-conditioned TV rooms

· Recreation rooms with table tennis, chess, carom board game

· Hair Salon

· Centralized self-cooking area and dining hall

ProTaxi

Senior Guru

Status: Offline

Posts: 4011

Date: Mon Dec 17 6:01 AM, 2012

Permalink

Migrant workers' recreation centre opens at Penjuru
By Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 16 December 2012 2133 hrs

west-coast-plaza-singapore.png?9d7bd4

SINGAPORE: A new recreation centre for foreign workers at Penjuru Road opened on Sunday. The Migrant Workers' Centre wants to broaden its outreach

and engagement of foreign workers within the heartlands through the new facility at the West Coast area. The centre said this will help it better understand

the issues foreign workers face. Some 15,000 foreign workers congregated at the new Penjuru Recreation Centre in celebration of International Migrants Day.

They were given goodie bags and meal packets. The centre will be the focal point for their leisure and recreation. "We work hard in shipyards and we work

also very late sometimes. So, we need to relax our body and mind, also we want some relief," said C H Pandurangavital, a migrant worker at the launch of the centre.

The sheltered space is an entertainment venue and a place to hold indoor games. There will also be a permanent bazaar, where foreign workers can buy their daily

essentials. The centre will also be screening movies and live telecasts of international sporting events. "With this centre here, as you can see, it's much easier for

us to organise more activities for the foreign workers," said Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of Migrant Workers' Centre. "Of course, this will be the first. We are trying

to test this out. If this is proven as a success, then definitely we will explore the other venues for us to also do the same for the other groups of migrant workers."

There are about 20,000 migrant workers living in and around the Penjuru area. The workers have also been active in community activities as volunteers.

"Our volunteers, who are grassroots leaders, patrol the area and they are joined by 10 to 12 foreign workers who live in the dormitory. They do joint patrolling

together," said Foo Mee Har, Member of Parliament for West Coast Group Representation Constituency. "(Grassroots leaders) are in a very good position to

educate (migrant workers) about the dos and don'ts (in the community) as they are patrolling the neighbourhood." In addition, foreign workers help out in

refurbishing homes of the needy and elderly living in the constituency. There are also plans for the grassroots organisations to hold friendly football matches

with the workers at the centre.

- CNA/xq

__________________

ProTaxi

Senior Guru

Status: Offline

Posts: 4011

Date: Mon Dec 17 6:02 AM, 2012

Permalink

The review of commercial dormitories’ list

Dormitory’s operator staged Carnival and Variety Show for foreign workers

Guidelines for design and maintenance of foreign worker dormitory

Singapore Contractors Association Ltd. is ‘an official representative of the construction industry in Singapore’ (Singapore Contractors Asociation Ltd. 2011). It had compiled guidelines for the dormitories’ operators regarding to the minimum standards on the design and maintenance of a worker dormitory on October 2005. The guidelines not only include the information of basic living space and facilities, but also concern more safety issue like fire safety, electrical safety, means of escape and healthy issue like hygiene and ventilation.

The guidelines presented the design and maintenance on 15 areas, such as layout and design, living space, sanitary facilities, cooking area, lighting and ventilation etc. Each standard specification of 15 areas is clearly specified. For example, the residents of dorms are from different countries, so the standard specification of ‘insturctions and supervision’ claims ‘House rules in languages understood by the workers shall be displayed in conspicuous locations’ (Singapore Contractors Association Ltd. 2005). Some dormitories, like Westlite Tuas Lodge 1 presents a notice board at the entrance of dormitory which demonstrates the Service Counter with four languages. So each resident can understand the clear service from dormitory operator.

Each dormitory’s vendor can take this guideline as a reference to provide such standard for their residents. It is concluded that the better quality accommodations are supplied to foreign workers, the more extraordinary productivity will be enhanced in turn benefit companies.

__________________

ProTaxi

Senior Guru

Status: Offline

Posts: 4011

Date: Mon Dec 17 6:03 AM, 2012

Permalink

MOM takes action against illegal lodging for foreign workers

Published by The Online Citizen on March 26, 2009

Andrew Loh

MOM’s actions comes several weeks before minister’s visit to new “up-market” dormitory’s opening

In a press release on 25 March, the Ministry of Manpower said it conducted two nationwide operations on 16 foreign workers’ dormitories on 10 March and 24 March 2009. In the operations, which were carried out together with the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), a total of 147 companies were issued with warning letters to relocate nearly 2,600 foreign workers to acceptable accommodation over the next few weeks.

The companies were warned to comply with regulatory requirements, and that employers abide by Work Permit conditions to provide their workers with acceptable accommodation.

In the first operation on 10 March, more than 1,900 foreign workers were found to be housed in eight unapproved dormitories (factory premises in the Woodlands and Tuas, and residential premises in the Serangoon Road area), MOM said. “By 20 March, more than half of the workers have been relocated to new accommodation that is in compliance with all regulatory requirements,” the ministry said.

“In the second operation on 24 March, four factories in Sungei Kadut, Tuas, Tech Park and Tagore area, and four residential units in the Serangoon Road area were inspected, all of which were not approved for foreign worker housing,” said the press release. “660 workers from 64 companies will be required to relocate to acceptable accommodation over the next two weeks.”

Divisional Director of the Foreign Manpower Management Division of MOM, Mr Aw Kum Cheong, said “it is unacceptable that employers house their foreign workers in illegal or unapproved housing to save costs.” He warned that this “will not be tolerated”. “All the agencies involved in these two operations will continue to coordinate closely and more operations will be conducted in the future,” Mr Aw said.

While it is heartening to note that MOM has finally taken the issue seriously enough to carry out the inspections, there are a few questions which remain.

In its press release, MOM said that if the employers failed to comply with its instructions to move the workers to appropriate and approved housing within the next one week, the work permits of the workers will be cancelled. Cancelling the work permits of the workers means that the workers will be repatriated. Why is MOM penalizing the workers when it is the employers who are responsible for housing them in illegal accommodation?

And since the accommodation is illegal, should not MOM require the employers to refund to the workers the rental which they were made to pay to their employers? In its press statement, the MOM said, “Acceptable accommodation is now readily available in purpose-built dormitories and there is no excuse for employers to house their workers in unapproved housing.” In previous TOC reports, most workers told us that they were made to pay S$100 for the accommodation, including those who were made to live in containers. And as many as 20 workers were housed in each container, generating a collection of $2,000 per month for the employers. Most of the workers that TOC met were also unemployed. Thus they would have the rental deducted from any settlements they may have with their employers before they were sent home.

Shelley Thio, a volunteer aid worker with NGO, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), said, “MOM should penalize the employers and refund the workers the amount that has been deducted from their salaries each month for such illegal housing.”

Lastly, one wonders if the latest action by MOM has anything to do with the upcoming visit by the Minister of Manpower to the newly-built “up-market” Avery Lodge dormitories. The Minister is expected to officiate at its opening next month. The dormitories will house up to 8,000 workers. Avery Lodge is a Morgan Stanley-controlled venture.

Despite the remaining issues, MOM should be applauded for its latest actions against errant employers.

———-

Read also:

Businesses cash in on dorm demand (Today)

Avery invests $100m on ‘upmarket’ dorm (One Singapore Real Estate)

__________________

Page 1 of 1 sorted by

Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse