Migrant Workers: Do They Get A Raw Deal? (Part 2) : Aftermath of Little India Riots
The Little India riots in Dec 2013 shook Singapore to the core. It was the first major outbreak of violence in more than 4 decades and brought the working conditions of migrant workers under the spotlight. But what caused the riots? Was it because of their working conditions? Did they feel let down by the system or is there a deep under current of animosity between Singaporeans and migrant workers that has been festering for years? The Little Indian riots in fact, were not the first incident of unrest. In February 2012, two hundred Bangladeshi workers staged a sit-out due to unpaid salaries and because of the dismal food they were served up during meal times. Then again in November 2012, 171 Chinese drivers working for SMRT went on strike. But are these incidents normal labour problems that can be encountered any where or is it systematic of conditions in Singapore?
Debbie Fordyce, an executive from Transient Workers Too, an NGO that champions the rights of foreign workers, believes the Little Indian riots were not work related although she said that this didn’t mean there were not underlying issues. Some of these she identified as the uneasy relationship between migrant workers and the auxiliary police. She said there had been many incidents of a heavy handed approach where unnecessary on the spot fines were issued for littering when people were simply sitting around enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon.
Tune in to this part of our Migrant Workers Talkabout to learn more about Little India riots.
Host: Kenneth Liang
Speakers : Professor Alan Chong, Kelvin Teo, Vincent Wijeysingha, Debbie Fordyce, Abul Khaeer Mohammed Mohsin, Jewel Biswas,
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