Direct Services & The Care Fund

Although under the law, employers of foreign workers are required to provide suitable accommodation and medical care as well as continue to pay a basic salary even when an employee is medically unfit for work (subject to certain conditions), the reality is that many workers are abandoned. The complaints they lodge with the Ministry of Manpower can take a long time to be investigated. In the meantime, they are left with no money and often nowhere to stay. Nor are they allowed, except with the ministry’s permission, to take on other jobs. In desperation, they are tempted to find illegal work, but if caught, it would completely invalidate whatever complaints they have lodged. Those who have suffered injuries are particularly vulnerable. They need urgent medical or surgical assistance. Injuries or infections may need to be treated promptly, otherwise they can get worse and pose a risk to life.

The direct services we provide include helping workers navigate the bureaucracy when they need to lodge complaints with the Ministry of Manpower or the police. TWC2′s Care Fund (Compassion and Relief for Emergencies Fund) extends:

• Funding for urgent and essential medical and surgical treatment, where no other help is available to a worker.
• Phone cards so that workers in difficulty can stay in contact with a support network. For their psychological well-being, they also need to be in occasional contact with their families back home.
• Pocket money so that workers are able to take transport to make their way to the Ministry of Manpower or other departments in order to pursue their claims.
• Help with alternative accommodation when employers fail to provide it.

TWC2′s direct services and careful outlays from our Care Fund provide a lifeline to these workers.