A viral online plea made by a construction firm boss urging people to treat foreign workers with kindness has struck a chord with netizens following the recent unpaid wages dispute affecting over 400 foreign workers.
In the TikTok video posted on Wednesday (June 24), Jeff Gay, CEO of a construction company, Apex Demolition, remarked how it is baffling why some Singaporeans choose to discriminate against foreign workers.
"I don't understand why some Singaporeans like to bully foreign workers. Foreign workers are human too," said Gay.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@apex.demolition/video/7654797249276300564?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc[/embed]
As the boss of a renovation and hacking firm, he said that most members in his small team of 20 comprises foreign workers, adding that he empathises with their plight.
"They left their hometown just to work [in Singapore] and it is not easy for them," he said.
His TikTok video comes just days after more than 100 migrant workers, mostly from Bangladesh and India, turned up at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) service centre along Bendemeer Road on June 22 to seek assistance over alleged unpaid wages.
Since the issue was brought to light, Ministry of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash has updated that 20 of more 400 foreign workers affected have found jobs after around 40 construction firms stepped in to offer jobs to the workers.
NTUC and MWC have also provided monetary support to affected foreign workers and arrange for their daily needs like food and lodging.
Gay's comments come as a stark contrast to the unpaid wages situation affecting those foreign workers, with him calling for more compassion towards foreign workers.
Gay told AsiaOne that what he said was a reflection of "what [he] felt through the six years of [his] journey as a boss".
He shared an anecdote in the video about one of his employees calling to inform him that someone was throwing eggs at their lorry.
"I was furious," said the 33-year-old, who then instructed his employee to take a video of the person throwing eggs at them.
"No need to be scared, I'm coming down now," he said, recounting what he said to his employee.
Gay reckoned his willingness to go to their aid, regardless of work or family issues, makes them see him as "their big brother".
"I will always help my workers. As their boss, it's my responsibility to take care of them and to protect them," he said in the video.
His video has gotten over 160,000 views, with more than 9,000 likes and 400 comments on TikTok at the time of writing.
Many netizens expressed their agreement with his humanitarian perspective in the comments, praising him as a "good boss" and echoing his call to "treat them with kindness".
The construction firm boss concluded the video with an earnest reminder: "Please don't discriminate [against foreign workers]. Foreign workers are humans too. If we don't have them, who is going to do the job?"
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