Background

Mr M.A* is a father to a 3-year-old son. In order to escape crippling poverty and to provide a better life for his wife and young son, he mortgaged his house to the bank and took a bank loan of S$4,500 which also includes borrowing a portion of the money from his 3 siblings. He came to Singapore on 3rd January 2018 to work as a construction worker. Mr M.A informs us that he earns a basic salary of S$750 and with overtime work, he can earn up to S$1,300.

He was paid his salary from January 2018 to July 2018, however, his employer, stopped paying him his salary from August 2018 onwards. While his salary was not paid, Mr M.A was still expected to work by his employer. In November 2018, after 3 months of unpaid salary, Mr M.A lodged a complaint with MOM.

The Struggle

MOM and later on, the Employment Claims Tribunal, ruled that his employer has to pay his backdated salary of S$3,958.38. However, till today, his employer has not paid the salary as he is now overseas and no longer in Singapore. In order to survive and send money home to his wife and son, Mr M.A took a further S$1,500 from the banks.

To further add to his predicament, on the 13th of June 2019, he suffered a hit and run traffic accident and suffered an injury on his right foot which required surgery. He was warded in hospital and now owes a government hospital S$1,590.40.

Mr M.A does not know if he will ever receive his backdated salary even though the tribunal has ruled in his favour. Mr M.A informs us that 17 other workers have not been paid and his employer is no longer in Singapore. He desperately needed the money as he might have to lose his house as it was mortgaged in order to secure a bank loan in Bangladesh.

Give Hope – Help Needed

Ray of Hope would like to raise S$1,234 (S$617 x 2 months) to defray his family’s living expenses in Bangladesh and his living expenses in Singapore. Please help Mr M.A and his family. He is currently heavily in debt due to unpaid salary and there is a possibility that he will never receive his backdated salary and return back to Bangladesh empty handed and heavily in debt with no way to repay back the banks.

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of Mr M.A*