By Arlina Arshad
WHILE some foreign workers who clean housing estates are forced by employers to live in smelly, rat-infested HDB bin centres, eight Bangladeshi workers in the Bishan-Toa Payoh area are far luckier.
Home for them is a utility room in a multi-storey carpark the size of half a badminton court. Their room in Block 81C, Toa Payoh Lorong 4 has a toilet, a bathroom and two wash basins.
Three older workers sleep on single beds and the rest on mattresses. They share two TV sets, a standing fan and two refrigerators for their snacks and drinks.
However, they are not allowed to cook in their quarters, one of four under Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council which the HDB leases to conservancy contractors at $800 to $900 each a month.
Conservancy contractors interviewed by The Straits Times repeatedly cited the town council as a model employer for looking out for the welfare of cleaning workers and awarding fair conservancy contract prices.
Yesterday, Central Singapore District mayor Zainudin Nordin told The Straits Times the town council rewards excellent workers, but comes down hard on errant contractors. He said: 'When we get compliments from residents about a hardworking cleaner, or one who has found a wallet and returned it, we will give him $50 directly.'
Only work-permit holders are employed in its estates, while spot checks are conducted to detect illegal workers.
Counselling and warning letters are sent to contractors who fail to follow the rules.
The town council, which has 48,000 residential units in its charge, has engaged three conservancy contractors to manage its seven conservancy zones.
To keep up these standards, Bishan-Toa Payoh pays one of the highest conservancy service rates - $11 for every household unit, which is twice what most town councils pay.
The $5 to $6 offered by most other town councils barely covers labour, cleaning material and tools, say conservancy cleaning firms.
Mr Zainudin said Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council makes it a policy to 'ask for tender amounts that make sense', that will enable the contractor to do the job properly without undercutting the competition.
'We look at the contractors' track record, quality of services, and awards they got. In short, the cheapest quote does not necessarily get the job.'
Latest comments
What a joke? I have lived in Kim Keat Avenue for more than 10 years and lost count of the number of times I called the town council to feedback on uncleared rubbish, unswept corridors, etc. To think I paid more conservancy fee for such lousy standard of cleaning. They don't deserve it. I want my money back!
Posted by: taureanwoman at Tue Jul 24 17:03:24 SGT 2007
just wonder how they gauge the said town council as the role model. is it compared against other town council, we cannot based on the comments of the conservancy contractor and say that they are role model. paying the highest conservanacy service rates doesn't mean that the contractor will delivery quality service....the town council staff are the people who ensure the contractor deliver quality services. but do we really get the quality services from our town council. what do you all think.
Posted by: jejgjs at Tue Jul 24 15:16:59 SGT 2007
you need less than $5 contribution from 1 flat (about 150 household units) to justify living quarters of $800. Please don't try to justify across the board doubled-priced conservancy fees based on just small cost expenses.
Posted by: jenicachua at Tue Jul 24 14:54:32 SGT 2007
totally agreed... I live in Kim Keat and there are always crocoaches running around.
Posted by: dlau at Tue Jul 24 13:48:53 SGT 2007
I live at Block 146 Bishan and I welcome visitors to gauge for themselves the generally appalling state of cleanliness in my block (and its vacinity). It seems that the number of times the corridors are washed or the individual floors swept have diminished over the years with each change of contractor. So to hold the precinct as a model of efficiency seems a little rather far fetched to someone who actually lives there.
Posted by: alastairleo at Tue Jul 24 09:16:58 SGT 2007
what do you guys think....are we getting the good services from them?
How is role model town being determined? Is it that the town having the highest conservancy charges means the town having the role model title?
Shouldnt role model tilte be determine by the own residences' cooperation and efforts to keep their town clean?
higher pay kick them ou bring in new one lo
It's a good thing that the workers get a decent pay and live in decent housing.