Remember the very public spat between the dormitory operator, Joylicious, and the migrant workers rights group, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2)?
Here’s A Short Flashback:
TWC2 received a distress call from a worker, claiming that their dormitory operator locked them up in a room.
The dormitory operator, Joylicious, said that the 20 men who were locked up shared a room with a worker who tested positive for Covid-19.
They stressed that the arrangement was temporary and was busy arranging another larger room for them with an adjoining toilet.
TWC2, however, refute and said that no matter what, you should never “forcibly confine” people in a room.
What if there was an emergency and the workers needed to escape immediately?
The workers who were locked up claimed that when they ask to be let out to go to the toilet, they had to wait for 30 minutes.
Dorm Operator Given Stern Warning By MOM, Employer Penalised Too
On 24 Apr 2020, it was reported that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has issued a “stern warning” to Joylicious.
“The dormitory operator was advised that it is unacceptable to forcibly confine the workers to their room.”
In addition, the workers’ employer has also been barred from hiring new foreign staff pending police investigations.
When MOM sent their officers down to the dormitory, they found out twenty men in a room with an adjoining toilet.
They also found out that the dormitory operator locked the men up with their employer’s permission.
TWC2 Went The Unofficial Way Too
There is an “official channel” where TWC2 can actually raise up issues of migrant workers in distress but this time, they didn’t do so.
“In this instance, TWC2 published the post on Facebook without notifying MOM.”
MOM urges all people to alert them to possible incidents so that they can do something about it fast as soon as possible.
Previously, TWC2 said that they’ve informed the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) about the issue but did not get any response.
MWC, on the other hand, confirmed that they were alerted to the issue and have passed it on to the Ministry of Manpower.
“As per our normal practice in cases such as this one, we alerted the enforcement unit of MOM about the case.”
That’s because MWC officers, unlike MOM’s enforcement officers, do not have the authority to enter private property.