Burmese Workers in Singapore Make Great Sacrifices to Make Ends Meet.
By Moe Kyaw
With its own economy wracked by decades of mismanagement, many Burmese workers look overseas to make their financial dreams come true. But for workers wishing to jump Burma's sinking economic ship to go work in Singapore, they must first clear a series of legal hurdles, leaving many migrant workers wondering if making the journey is worth the effort.
"I decided to go to Singapore because I have no money and there is no way for me to survive in Burma," says Burmese architect Aung Moe Gyi. "Even if I had enough money or ran my own business, I could become a poor man in an instant because there is no rule of law in Burma."
Burmese have been working legally in Singapore for decades, but started arriving in larger numbers to compensate for the labor shortages during the city-state's construction boom in the mid-1980s. Some Burmese work as doctors and professors and have settled permanently in Singapore, but most legal Burmese laborers work physically demanding jobs in painting, welding, carpentry and other general construction work with their sights set on returning home after putting away enough cash.
Prior to January 1998, Burmese could get a visa-on-arrival for a seven-day stay, but now things are not so easy. Only the Singapore embassy in Rangoon has the authority to issue visas for Burmese, and applicants must first furnish a work permit and a sponsor letter: documents available only to naturalized Singapore citizens, to Burmese with Permanent Resident (PR) status, and to those who already have been granted an official Employee Pass (EP).
Only skilled labor will be issued work visas for Singapore. Requirements for an EP include completion of university education in Burma or enrollment in one of Singapore's polytechnic schools. For PR status, workers must first meet EP requirements and then convince the authorities that they are upright and law-abiding guests.
For those who cannot obtain a sponsor letter, they must put down a deposit of 2,000 Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC) on top of the standard visa fee of 18 FEC (1 FEC = 960 kyat) at the Singapore embassy in Rangoon. If they overstay their visa, they lose their deposit money, says an embassy employee.
This initial investment may only be the beginning of an arduous financial journey through multiple layers of bureaucracy, sometimes encountering swindling job brokers along the way. To facilitate the move abroad, job broker agencies in Rangoon with close ties to Singapore businesses will arrange everything for a fee, but nightmarish tales of fraudulent services disappearing with people's money, and dreams, are commonplace.
Legitimate job agencies typically charge clients between 1,000,000-1,200,000 kyat. The exorbitant fee includes a passport, an air ticket and job training that can last up to six months. Thus, it can take up to eight months after the initial payment before workers can get to Singapore to work off their debt.
For ordinary Burmese who have trouble eking out a living, getting to Singapore is prohibitively expensive. Skilled manual laborers in Rangoon can earn a daily wage of 500-800 kyat while bureaucrats officially earn 4,000-4,500 kyat per month.
"We cannot get a good education or health care and there are no social services at home," says Hla Aye, a construction worker. "I can earn at least 100,000 to 150,000 kyat (about US $140) per month in Singapore and am able to take care of my family in Rangoon."
Laboring Legally in Singapore
Legal Burmese workers have it easier than their illegal counterparts in Singapore but the financial obligations can be daunting. Legal laborers generally receive about S$16 (9,200 kyat) per day with higher-skilled work earning a few dollars more. Some companies pay Burmese workers a monthly salary of about S$600 (345,000 kyat) per month. Basic monthly household expenditures range from S$80-100. The Burmese government charges a 10% tax on overseas income and S$30 is paid as a flat tax to the Singapore government. To renew a passport, the Burmese government charges S$300 and replacing a worn or lost one costs S$1,400, or nearly three months' wages.
"After taxes, hostel fees and living expenses, I only can remit about S$300 to my family each month. I try to work overtime to make ends meet but sometimes there is no overtime work available," says Tin Ko, a construction worker.
But the money is still attractive enough to lure workers eager to please families back home. "Of course I'm working hard labor jobs and have poor living conditions here but my family has been able to stay in their own house in Burma, and if I work hard, they might have a car in two or three years. That's why I am here," explains Soe Myint, a welder from Rangoon.
Some companies arrange for their migrant workers to stay in hostels, but the S$75 monthly rent is too steep for most construction workers such as Soe Myint, who prefers to live in a less expensive "container" where accommodations are tight.
Myint Swe, who mortgaged his house to finance his way to Singapore and now lives in a modified cargo container near his construction site, says, "We have to stay with at least four other workers in one container. I could stay at the hostel but then I won't save money to pay back my debt in Rangoon."
Others only wish that they could be in Myint Swe's shoes, however. With fake job broker agencies lurking in Rangoon, selling one's property and committing to a job in Singapore can be a risky undertaking; one bad deal can wipe out a life's savings.
"One of my friends mortgaged his house to get enough money to go to Singapore, but three months after giving a job agency his money, they closed down and disappeared, so he lost everything," says Ko Ko Aung, a businessman in Rangoon. "There are many others like my friend in Burma."
Illegal Workers
Most illegal Burmese laborers in Singapore arrive as stowaways on ships and work in factories, restaurants, and basic construction. Although the work is laborious and sometimes dangerous, for many, it beats facing the bleak economic realities at home. But without the protection of legal rights, undocumented workers are subjected to higher housing rents and arbitrary arrest by the authorities, even in their own homes.
"One of my friends with EP received three lashes with the cane and two years imprisonment for renting a room to illegal immigrants to earn extra income," says Zaw Htun, a construction worker who has lived in Singapore for eight years.
Others who get arrested for entering the country illegally get sent home--provided they have the money to pay for their own one-way ticket back to Rangoon. If not, then a stay in prison to work off the transportation cost can be expected.
"The police arrested us at our home in the afternoon. The next morning in court, I told the judge I arrived by boat only a week ago, and he sent me back on the next boat to Rangoon without caning. But some of my friends who had stayed a long time were caned," says Soe Soe. He added that the caning is administered by a martial arts expert with a six-foot long rattan cane that has been soaked in brine.
The prospects of leaving behind one's family and facing such hardships in a foreign land may not seem like an attractive option. But when presented with the alternatives--a repressive government that applies the law whimsically and an economic climate that inspires little cause for hope--working difficult jobs and living hand to mouth in Singapore may not be so bad after all. And for illegal workers subjected to arbitrary arrest and flexible application of the law, Singapore may feel a lot like home.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Migration: Is it worth the pain?
As I witness the act of a Burmese maid or euphemistically “domestic worker” creating a more presentable house for my family to live in, my mind questions, “Why do they need to do this? Will they ever return to their homeland?” These questions are catalysts for a more layered discussion on the pros and cons of migration using the case study of Burmese workers in Singapore.
Defining migration as the movement of people from one place to another in the geographic perspective would be easy. However, pivotally, in what ways does migration act as a beneficial “tool” for both the parties involved in terms of economic, political and socio-economic reasons (ie. Migrants and Host Country)
Firstly, what are the benefits of migration? From the migrants’ viewpoint, it gives them a fresh opening as they would invariably gain monetary benefits by working in another country where the better exchange rate guarantees a higher home-land return for them. For example, one Singapore dollar is equal to 4.43 kyat – the Myanmar currency. This would mean that their main aim of migrating would be fulfilled as they would be sending sufficient cash for the sustenance of their family back home. This is most important of all the underlying reasons and the tangible benefits due to these sudden riches would be much more relevant than the intangible gains such as forging new bonds with the Singaporean counterparts.
“With its own economy wracked by decades of mismanagement, many Burmese workers look overseas to make their financial dreams come true. But for workers wishing to jump Burma's sinking economic ship to go work in Singapore”
From the host country’s perspective, they would be at the receiving end of invaluable cheap labour, a concept which has been adopted from the Western world. The concept of cheap labour is simple. It just means importing people from less developed countries for lower wages in order to cut operating costs. Singapore has adopted this model as these Burmese workers would be filling the gaps in the blue-collar sector. However, for a country like Singapore where the literacy rate is very high, we do need manual labor to construct buildings, work in hawker centres etc. From a societal viewpoint, the Burmese community may bring about cultural integration and enhancement with the existing races.
However, there are many cons which override the positive effects of migration. The migrant has to clear stringent legal procedures which also include checks on their educational qualifications. If they do not meet the requirements of even the smallest criterion, they would not be given the Employment Pass. Also, their pay of 2000-3000 kyat does not match up to the hype which is generated by those back home. When making ends meet is tough, eking out extra cash for healthcare, social services, and basic entertainment becomes increasingly tougher. Poor living conditions mar their health. Their deteriorating health adversely affects their work and companies which need to ensure quality control retrench them. When this happens, the people back home in Burma would not be able to sustain because they would have started ‘leaning’ on them by then.
The host country would have to consider two big issues. Firstly, illegal immigrants. Secondly, they would have to counter a societal backlash due to these immigrants overtaking the locals in the “occupational ladder.” Illegal immigrants pose a threat as they have the tendency to commit crimes and the country’s security would be affected. While arbitrary checks are conducted, these illegal immigrants are involved in drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes.
While Singapore is a thriving ground for graduates, not everyone makes the cut in the corporate world. Those who fall below, resort to manual labour. When these Burmese, enter the fray, they would naturally demand a lower price than the not-so-bright Singaporeans. Therefore, they would lose out and a societal backlash on the government’s policies regarding immigration would be raised.
In conclusion, migration is a double-edged sword for both the host country and the immigrant. The Burmese domestic worker is a graduate in Chemistry in Burma. Her plight makes one feel, “Is the pain worth it?” For a four million populace like ours, is it that tough to create or refine a “service” which would appeal to the masses?
As said in the play “Pickle King,” a Sri Lankan doctor is a New Zealand bus driver. The realism may be stark for the Burmese but the push to be economically competitive from the host country is a factor which is hard to ignore.
And... the source of this article is here.
Defining migration as the movement of people from one place to another in the geographic perspective would be easy. However, pivotally, in what ways does migration act as a beneficial “tool” for both the parties involved in terms of economic, political and socio-economic reasons (ie. Migrants and Host Country)
Firstly, what are the benefits of migration? From the migrants’ viewpoint, it gives them a fresh opening as they would invariably gain monetary benefits by working in another country where the better exchange rate guarantees a higher home-land return for them. For example, one Singapore dollar is equal to 4.43 kyat – the Myanmar currency. This would mean that their main aim of migrating would be fulfilled as they would be sending sufficient cash for the sustenance of their family back home. This is most important of all the underlying reasons and the tangible benefits due to these sudden riches would be much more relevant than the intangible gains such as forging new bonds with the Singaporean counterparts.
“With its own economy wracked by decades of mismanagement, many Burmese workers look overseas to make their financial dreams come true. But for workers wishing to jump Burma's sinking economic ship to go work in Singapore”
From the host country’s perspective, they would be at the receiving end of invaluable cheap labour, a concept which has been adopted from the Western world. The concept of cheap labour is simple. It just means importing people from less developed countries for lower wages in order to cut operating costs. Singapore has adopted this model as these Burmese workers would be filling the gaps in the blue-collar sector. However, for a country like Singapore where the literacy rate is very high, we do need manual labor to construct buildings, work in hawker centres etc. From a societal viewpoint, the Burmese community may bring about cultural integration and enhancement with the existing races.
However, there are many cons which override the positive effects of migration. The migrant has to clear stringent legal procedures which also include checks on their educational qualifications. If they do not meet the requirements of even the smallest criterion, they would not be given the Employment Pass. Also, their pay of 2000-3000 kyat does not match up to the hype which is generated by those back home. When making ends meet is tough, eking out extra cash for healthcare, social services, and basic entertainment becomes increasingly tougher. Poor living conditions mar their health. Their deteriorating health adversely affects their work and companies which need to ensure quality control retrench them. When this happens, the people back home in Burma would not be able to sustain because they would have started ‘leaning’ on them by then.
The host country would have to consider two big issues. Firstly, illegal immigrants. Secondly, they would have to counter a societal backlash due to these immigrants overtaking the locals in the “occupational ladder.” Illegal immigrants pose a threat as they have the tendency to commit crimes and the country’s security would be affected. While arbitrary checks are conducted, these illegal immigrants are involved in drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes.
While Singapore is a thriving ground for graduates, not everyone makes the cut in the corporate world. Those who fall below, resort to manual labour. When these Burmese, enter the fray, they would naturally demand a lower price than the not-so-bright Singaporeans. Therefore, they would lose out and a societal backlash on the government’s policies regarding immigration would be raised.
In conclusion, migration is a double-edged sword for both the host country and the immigrant. The Burmese domestic worker is a graduate in Chemistry in Burma. Her plight makes one feel, “Is the pain worth it?” For a four million populace like ours, is it that tough to create or refine a “service” which would appeal to the masses?
As said in the play “Pickle King,” a Sri Lankan doctor is a New Zealand bus driver. The realism may be stark for the Burmese but the push to be economically competitive from the host country is a factor which is hard to ignore.
And... the source of this article is here.
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