A company in Singapore that operates four foreign worker dormitories was fined S$118,000 on Sep. 18, 2020, after it was convicted of seven charges, local media reported.

Labourtel Management Corporation fined

Labourtel Management Corporation operated dormitories in 2018 and 2019 that were overcrowded and failed to maintain the cleanliness of premises under their supervision.

Director and employee fined

Labourtel’s director Parvis Ahmed Mohamed Ghouse, 43 was fined S$59,000. 

He oversaw operations at three dormitories, Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1 and 2, as well as Blue Stars Dormitory.

An employee, Shaik Mohamed Mohamed Abdul Jaleel, 34, was fined S$22,000.

He oversaw tenancy agreements between the company and employers of the foreign workers.

Both men had pleaded guilty in March to multiple offences.

They are the first to be convicted under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act 2015 that came into force in January 2016. 

Labourtel Management Corporation is part of property and logistics solutions company MES Group.

Violations at 4 dormitories

The company managed:

- Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1 and 2 near West Coast Road,

- Blue Stars Dormitory in Jurong West, and

- The Leo along Kaki Bukit Road 3

Violations detected

Inspectors from the Ministry of Manpower found several breaches during checks from May 2018 to January 2019.

Labourtel had been advised to clean up the dorms. 

Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1

Several rooms at Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1 had no laundry facilities.

Two rooms had no fans.

Several shower points had no doors or curtains.

Faulty toilet bowls, damaged partition walls or missing or damaged lights were found in 12 rooms.

Cockroaches were found in four rooms.

A total of 27 rooms were found to be filthy, with greasy cooking areas.

The migrant workers living there were S-Pass holders.

Too many tenants

During April to May 2018, the number of tenants in two parts of the dormitory exceeded the occupancy load per level as prescribed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

There were 268 tenants when the limit in one block was 252.

Cockroaches were also found during inspections at the Leo and Blue Stars Dormitory rooms.

Similar problems at other dorms

Labourtel, as a dorm operator, had to comply with fire safety regulations under licensing conditions.

It had to maintain the cleanliness and housekeeping of the dormitory, and keep the interior and exterior of the buildings in good repair and condition.

Similar problems were also found at the three other dormitories in other inspections later in 2018 and last year.

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