The dorms are not the problem
An essay based on a talk given by Alex Au at a Labour Day webinar organised by Maruah in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic that badly affected migrant workers in Singapore.
1
05, 2020
30
04, 2020
Lockdowns and merry-go-rounds
Medical needs for non-Covid situations risk being neglected. Two stories from two workers stuck in dorms. The hospitals are fine, but seeing a doctor in the dorm or filling a prescription... facepalm!
28
04, 2020
A self-cultivated Achilles heel
As Covid-19 infections among migrant workers hit new highs, John Gee takes stock of the bigger picture: What is it about Singapore's migrant labour policy that makes this crisis a self-inflicted one, and where do we go from here?
28
04, 2020
Covid-19 cases explode in Qatar
Covid-19 cases rise dramatically in Qatar in April 2020. Majority said to be from among "expatriates" -- a term that includes low-wage migrant workers packed densely in worker accommodation.
27
04, 2020
Covid-19: Tales from the ground, part 1
Workers tell us of their experiences during the lock-down. Here is a miscellaneous collection of their direct experiences -- about getting fever, the long wait for test results and not getting wifi.
26
04, 2020
Joyless Joylicious, part 3
Twenty roommates of a migrant worker were locked inside a room after the worker fell ill with Covid-19. The room was locked from the outside. The employer was unhappy we went public with the problem on Facebook. MOM also said we had not informed them.
26
04, 2020
Joyless Joylicious, part 2
Twenty roommates of a migrant worker were locked inside a room after the worker fell ill with Covid-19. The room was locked from the outside. TodayOnline confirms the story in a report the next day but also quotes dorm operator saying it was necessary.
26
04, 2020
Joyless Joylicious, part 1
Twenty roommates of a migrant worker were locked inside a room after the worker fell ill with Covid-19. The room was locked from the outside. The story (parts 1 to 3) recounts our efforts to free them from criminal confinement, and the battles we had to fight even after we succeeded.
25
04, 2020
Dorm residents now make up 94% of new Covid-19 cases
News flash: Between 16 and 22 April, nearly 94% of new Covid-19 infections were reported from worker dormitories. S11 in Punggol is by far the largest cluster.
23
04, 2020
Raju’s Covid-19 holiday
A worker under TWC2's care was diagnosed with Covid-19. What does treatment and recovery for a foreign worker feel like? What unresolved issues remain? We interview him by phone.