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AFTER working for only two days in February last year, a Bangladeshi worker claimed, he was told that his services were no longer required.
Even during the two days which he worked, the only tasks available to him were cleaning jobs.
Although he was supposed to be paid $36 for his two days of work, Mr Jonaed Anwar Ullah, 22, claimed he did not get any money, and ended up owing the boss money instead.
He claimed he was charged $240 for accommodation, food and laundry services for the three months he stayed in the dormitory provided by his company.
Mr Jonaed said he asked his boss to let him work on several occasions, but the latter would always tell him to wait.
After waiting for three months in the dormitory, Mr Jonaed was fed up and he left the dormitory with some other Bangladeshi workers.
They slept outside MRT stations, mini-marts, on the Farrer Park field and eventually ended up living in Home's shelter in August last year.
Like Mr Nahid, he paid $8,000 to come and work here. He got half of the money from a bank loan in Bangladesh, and half was borrowed from family and friends there.
His father has been out of work after an injury, his mother is a housewife, and his three brothers run a stationery shop.
He said that when he called his family once every two weeks, they would either cry or scold him, upset that he did not send money home after taking their money.
He came to Singapore through an agent, whose training centre was close to his house, the same as in Mr Nahid's case.
He claimed that the agent had disappeared, and was uncontactable.
He returned to Bangladesh two weeks ago, and planned to work as a farmer to repay his debts.
Even if he were to see his agent again, Mr Jonaed said he would not confront him, because he believed the agent was rich and powerful.
'I paid $8,000 to come here, and haven't earned even $1. I was told there was work here, but there isn't any at all,' he said repeatedly.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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