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The men of yellow helmets and boots.

J.K. Lim

9 Aug 2011

Foreign construction workers line up outside a building site for their transport home. ©AP

Photo/Mark Baker (Image taken from: http://newshopper.sulekha.com/malaysia-

construction_photo_802584.htm)

Step into an elementary classroom and ask the students what they would

like to be when

they grow up and often you will get answers like teachers, doctors, and

lawyers. However,

Ismail dreamt of being a construction worker since he was young.

As you may have figured, Ismail, 26, isn’t Singaporean. He belongs to a

growing number of 

foreign workers who have come to Singapore in search of a better life.

Making up more than

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10 percent of our population, these foreign workers come from China, India

and Malaysia,

often filling up menial jobs by being construction workers and cleaners that

Singaporeans

typically shun to work as. Yet, despite their efforts and contributions to

Singapore’s growth,

they are often overlooked.

A regular day for Ismail begins by waking up at 6am. After donning his boots

and safety gear, he waits by the road side just outside of his dormitory at

Kaki Bukit. As the sun

rises, a lorry approaches to pick him and a few others to the construction

site.

Today, Ismail continues working on a wall which he has left off yesterday.One by one,

he patiently stacks the bricks before slapping on another layer of cement

and this goes

on continuously till the day end of the work day. To break the ongoing

monotony, he

occasionally breaks out in a song or counts each brick out loud in English, a

language he

yearns to learn and master some day. He excitedly says that on a good day,

he lays up to

700 bricks a day. In a few months time, the wall that Ismail has been working

on would be

part of a free-hold condominium that his company has been working on for

the whole of 

last year. “It’s hard work,” says Ismail with a smile, “but seeing these

magnificent buildings

rise up from scratch and knowing I was involved in the building process

makes me feel

proud.” To date, he has been involved in the Esplande and the Marina Bay

Sands.

It is lunchtime, and a tall young man who looks just like Ismail joined him for

lunch. When

asked about their similar looks, both of them laughed out loud. They are

indeed brothers,

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and in fact a very lucky pair. Working together in the same site meant that

they could look

out for one another and assist whenever possible. Ismail’s brother, Ibrahim,

who arrived

earlier in Singapore, is now a team leader of these men.

It is the end of the day and Ismail’s clothes are wet and caked with mud. The

downpour an

hour ago has loosened the soil in the construction site. Come rain or shine,

these men

continue working, in order to meet deadlines for the developer.

Back at the dormitory, Ismail looks forward to his favourite part of the day -

showering. To

him, showering is more than just rubbing soap and running a hose to cleanup after a day of 

work. Because it is very much communal living, the mere 10 minutes he

spends in the

shower is the only personal time he has to himself; a far cry from what we

Singaporeans are

used to. During this time, Ismail reflects on his life and thinks about his

family. At times he

would let out a tear, being unable to hold his emotions inside. “I miss my

mother a lot. She

is always worried about me.”, says Ismail. Every year Ismail and his brother

take turns to go

back to Bangladesh to visit their family. They cannot afford to fly both of 

them back because

their family needs the money. It has been 6 years since the family have

reunited. This year,

Ismail will be staying in Singapore.

During his free time, he would visit Little India where he gets his daily

necessities. Once amonth, he sets up a make shift barber outside the dormitory. With a few

pieces of 

newspaper on the floor, a stool and armed with a shaver he cuts the hair of 

other workers

for 2 dollars. This entrepreneurial feat is a definite win-win situation for both

him and his

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peers - they get a cheap haircut, and he earns some extra money to offset

the purchase of a

hair clipper.

These foreign workers here are generally paid about $1200-$1700 a month

after deduction of 

agent fees.A far cry from what average Singaporeans are recieving. They

usually work 6 days a week and up to 11 hours a day. And although Ismail

admits that the job is physically demanding, he has come to enjoy staying in

Singapore as it is his “home away from home”.He feels that his experience

has been postive, depite hearing horror stories where workers get mistreated

by their bosses and not receive their pay. When asked about his future

aspirations, he mentioned once he has earned enough money, he will returm

to Bangladesh to build a grand house for his parents and future family; to

ensure they will live in comfort of generations to come.

Hidden behind the green facade and bamboo poles, these construction

workers work day

and night, with no regards of the weather to finish their projects on time, so

that we

Singaporeans will have a comfortable place to work and live in. Today as the

nation turns

46; we should take our hats off and salute Ismail and his hardworking

companions. Without them, Singapore wouldn’t be as of what we are today.

--------

Ordinary Job, Extraordinary Contributions: The men

of yellow helmets and boots.

By J.K. Lim

AUGUST 9, 2011 (Posted at 09:26 a.m.)

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Foreign workers are seen at a construction site in Singapore

© AFP/File Roslan Rahman (Image taken from:

http://www.sawfnews.com/Lifestyle/50564.aspx)

SINGAPORE - WORKING nearly 11 hours a day and up to 7 days a week when

schedules are tight, Ismail works hard regardless of the weather conditions.

His job: a construction worker.

Often hidden behind green facade and bamboo poles, these diligent men

come from countries like China, India and Malaysia to fill up odd jobs that we

Singaporeans usually shun - to make life possible today.

Like many who has arrived before him, Ismail aspired to come to Singapore

to chase the 'Migrant Dreams'. It has been five years since he had first

arrived in Singapore.

Though stereotyped as people of the lower class, they have contributed

much to the city’s facade. If not for them, we would not have our iconic

buildings like the Esplanade and the recently built Marina Bay Sands.

Today, Ismail patiently stacks the bricks that would form the foundation for a

luxurious free-hold condominium. “It’s hard work,” he says. Despite the

hardships, the reward of seeing a grand building materialize from scratchgives him the much needed motivation to carry on.

Due to the mid-day downpour, Ismail’s clothes are drenched and stained

with mud - a plight that most Singaporeans wouldn’t want to be in. However,

this scenario is common amongst the construction workers, especially during

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the rainy season. They continuously labour regardless of rain or shine in

order to meet the deadlines for the developers.

It is not easy to be a construction worker, one has to put up with hard labour

and low wages. “On average, we are paid $1200-1700, after deduction of 

agent fees,” says Ismail. The wages they earn are usually waged at a

fraction of the typical Singaporeans’ pay, and is barely enough for

sustenance in Singapore. This plays a major part in why Singaporeans are

not willing to take up this job.

Once a month, Ismail sets up his own barber at the dormitory. With a few

newspapers on the floor, a stool and a hair clipper, he does a decent haircut

for his peers for just 2 dollars. This entrepreneurial feat proved beneficial for

both parties.

Throughout the years after our independence, these workers have shed

sweat and tears in building our nation. However, very often, their hard work

goes unnoticed as we live to enjoy the fruits of their labor. So as we take the

time out to celebrate our nation’s 46th birthday, why not spend some time to

appreciate the efforts in which these unsung heroes have put in to provide

for a stable infrastructure of our beautiful skyline.

Tags: yellow boots, Singapore’s Ordinary Achievers, construction, National

Day 2011

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