With the announcement of the closure of the Malaysian border from 18 March to 31 March, many Malaysian workers were left with the difficult choice of either staying behind in Singapore to continue working or returning home.
70-year-old Mr Yip, who owns a seafood supplier business at the Senoko Fishery Port says that about half of his employees are Malaysians who have worked for him for many years. In order to mitigate the impact of the border closure, Mr Yip have decided to house some of his Malaysian workers at one of his unoccupied bungalows for free. His employees also do not have to pay for utilities.
According to Mr Yip, by helping his Malaysian workers, he is also helping himself as his business cannot operate without them. Some of his other Malaysian staff who have young children at home have chosen to apply for unpaid leave and return to Malaysia instead.
While Mr Yip is aware of the $50 allowance per worker per night (up to 14 nights) that the Government is giving to affected employers, he says that he has no idea how to apply for it. However, Mr Yip believes that this initiative by the Government will definitely help employers in Singapore who are affected.