Singapore’s migrant workers just want a safe space to gather on their day off

A crash at Lucky Plaza, in which two Filipino domestic workers sitting on the pavement were killed, has highlighted the lack of social spaces

These workers, who make roughly S$700 (US$518) a month and send the bulk of it home, cannot afford to sit in cafes where a cup of coffee costs S$6 (US$4)

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Indonesian domestic workers Sofia Marsudin, 49, and Sadiam Sadin, 47, enjoy a Sunday picnic. For many foreign workers in Singapore, it is difficult to find a safe and comfortable space to spend their day off. Photo: Kok Xinghui

Published: 8:00am, 7 Jan 2020Updated: 9:23pm, 7 Jan 2020

After working six days a week from dawn to dusk – preparing meals, cleaning, making sure her employers’ children get to school and finish their homework – all Sofia Marsudin, 49, wants to do on a Sunday is to meet her friends for some food and relaxation. Preferably at a park that has shade, affordable food nearby, toilets, and amenities the Indonesian domestic worker needs, such as remittance services so she can send money home to her daughter and ageing parents.

But there is no such place in Singapore, where she has worked for 15 years. Instead, she goes to Lucky Plaza along Orchard Road on Sundays to remit money, then sits on a grassy patch one train stop away at Somerset with her friends.

They bring a picnic mat and food they have prepared, walking to a nearby mall when they need to use the restroom or for some respite from the heat, leaving one or two friends behind to jaga (Bahasa Indonesian for watch) their belongings. If it rains, they will take a bus to the airport and jalan jalan (walk around).

Domestic workers gather on a grass patch behind Somerset MRT Station in Singapore. Photo: Kok Xinghui

These workers, who make roughly S$700 (US$518) a month and send the bulk of it home, cannot afford to sit in cafes where a cup of coffee costs S$6 (US$4), so many have taken to sitting on pavements. Which was what a group of six Filipino women did on December 29 when a car lost control and crashed into them, killing two and sending four to hospital.

The accident could have happened to any pedestrian shopping at Orchard Road that day, but Filipino construction worker Johnwil Saladar, 35, who was at the scene of the accident, now worries about safety.

Singapore’s migrant workers just want a safe space to gather on their day off

A crash at Lucky Plaza, in which two Filipino domestic workers sitting on the pavement were killed, has highlighted the lack of social spaces These workers, who make roughly S$700 (US$518) a month and send the bulk of it home, cannot afford to sit in cafes where a cup of coffee costs S$6 (US$4)

A crash at Lucky Plaza, in which two Filipino domestic workers sitting on the pavement were killed, has highlighted the lack of social spaces

These workers, who make roughly S$700 (US$518) a month and send the bulk of it home, cannot afford to sit in cafes where a cup of coffee costs S$6 (US$4)