Foreign workers under quarantine in dorms now getting better food

Singapore — The food served to foreign workers under quarantine in dormitories had  improved considerably on Thursday (April 9) over that of the previous few days.

An activist for foreign worker communities, Ms Kokila Annamalai, said on Facebook: “Workers in the dorms under quarantine say their meals today are better than the past few days. Advocacy matters. All of you who spoke up about this, wrote about it, asked questions, tagged MOM, expressed anger/concern - you have power, you made a difference. A friend also pointed out that the people making all this food are also migrant workers, in most cases. We hope their work conditions are fair and healthy too. Producing food for thousands of workers is extremely demanding. We need to ensure migrant workers are taken care of during and beyond this pandemic.”

She had taken up the issue on Facebook on Wednesday (April 8): 

While there was a report the same day on straitstimes.com (April 8) that the Ministry of Manpower was working to improve the meals, Ms Kokila's post was shared widely.

YouTube personality Subhas Nair also left a comment, tagging the MOM.

One person said prisoners got slightly better food.

Later that day, the activist posted a todayonline.com report from five years ago that said researchers were urging better regulation for the food served to foreign workers.

On Ms Kokila's page, people thanked the activist for shedding light on the issue.

However, one person felt that foreign workers must not be too demanding. Another was more sympathetic.

      /TISG Read related: Tommy Koh: The way Singapore treats its foreign workers is not First World but Third World http://theindependent.sg/tommy-koh-the-way-singapore-treats-its-foreign-workers-is-not-first-world-but-third-world/