The Struggle

Khandaker’s workplace accident happened on 9 May 2018. He fell when the air hose he was working on was yanked away suddenly. The doctor told him that his kneecap was damaged so badly and he needed to undergo a knee replacement surgery immediately. He was constantly assured surgery by the company but unfortunately, the surgery never took place for him. Time after time, he was told the operation would happen “next week”, “two weeks later” and “next month”. To placate Khandaker’s anxiety, he was given $400 per month for 9 months as MC wages. After a year or so, his employer allegedly threatened to send him back even though there was still 3 months of MC wages due to Khandaker, with no intention of allowing him to undergo the surgery at all.

In desperation, he turned to a friend who told him to speak with a lawyer. He managed to stay put and reported the accident to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) which was supposed to have been done when the accident occurred.

Help Needed – Give Hope

In order to come to work in Singapore, Khandaker had to pay agent fees amounting to S$6,100. He exhausted the family’s savings of S$3,000 while the rest were borrowed largely from friends and relatives.

It had been a very long and depressing year for Khandaker. When he was working he earned close to $800 a month, he would remit the bulk of his salary home for his family’s living expenses while he kept a small amount for his monthly expenses here. After he was injured, he barely had much to send home. Khandaker has two school-going sons aged 17 and 14 years old.  When we met him, he also told us that his wife who was on medication for breast cancer now needs to go for a S$1,500 operation very urgently.

Khandaker is now left stranded with an injured kneecap and without an income after his accident. His company is also not obligated to pay MC wages as his injury is more than a year long. With the loss of income, Khandaker’s family is struggling to get by with unpaid debts.

Financial Breakdown

Ray of Hope would like to raise $750 for the forlorn worker who remains helpless about his situation yet does not know how to seek help. Your donations can give hope to Khandaker as it would go towards his living expenses while he continues to seek recourse.

*Ray of Hope case workers have cited medical documents provided by Khandaker. However, they will not be published as he is currently seeking recourse with MOM.