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How compliant is Singapore with ILO Convention 29 on forced labour?
Sixty years after Singapore ratified the ILO's Forced Labour Convention 29, we can't help but see areas where Singapore can be accused of insufficient compliance. What are those areas?
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Management executives washing dishes
In quick succession, many cases that looked like a new type of job scam surfaced. Agents and employers appear to be exploiting weaknesses in scrutiny and vetting in MOM's IPA process. Victims come to TWC2
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Myanmar migrants and placemaking
A poster produced by an NTU student, giving a glimpse into his research project about how Burmese migrant workers create their own spaces in Singapore
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Another tooth fairy going around in circles
MOM says our earlier article was "misleading". We reject that characterisation. We think MOM's response was what's misleading.
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Outreach by the sea
TWC2 took nearly 300 migrant workers from various communities out to Lazarus Island for a day of fun. At the same time, we set aside time to prep them with information as to how to
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On the margins of marginal labour
A research report on the chronic livelihood distress faced by workers caught up in investigations by the Police and other agencies and the shortcomings of current systems.
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After filing their salary and injury claims, two workers beaten up
On the same day, not one, but two workers came to TWC2 with accounts of their bosses attacking them physically, and more. Some employers of migrant workers are quick to venting anger and using force.
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Honeypot for illegal agents
Government policy is that migrant workers with valid claims against their employers will be allowed to look for new jobs with first being repatriated, but how do they find new jobs?
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Crushed by six months’ notice period, Part 2
Safety Supervisor Ragav was short-paid throughout his ten months working for his employer but when he filed a salary claim, the counter move by the employer shocked him.
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Crushed by six months’ notice period, Part 1
Safety Supervisor Ragav was short-paid throughout his ten months working for his employer but when he filed a salary claim, the counter move by the employer shocked him.
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The man who rejected a promotion to ‘mechanical engineer’, Part 2
All migrant workers fear losing their jobs as soon as they try to assert their right to the agreed salary; is there nothing that can be done?
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The man who rejected a promotion to ‘mechanical engineer’, Part 1
In every one of three jobs, a driver was short-paid his salary. It took a while before he had the confidence to use the claims system. As typically the case, as soon as he filed
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Several cases of forgery of crucial MOM document
A critical document is issued by MOM in PDF format, but nowadays, scammers have the skills to create forgeries. Prospective workers lose thousands of dollars.
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Through heat and haze – preparedness for extreme weather events
Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather events. Migrant workers often work outdoors and are more exposed to risks and effects than others.
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Salary disputes often spring from breaches of law, why aren’t employers automatically investigated?
A story about kickbacks, a bad faith S-Pass application and a host of other breaches, all crying out for investigation, but was there any?
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The man who might not even be a statistic
After a small injury, a worker was left unemployed for 20 months; employer uncooperative, insurer tardy and the regulator engaging in taichi.
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Good diet and good health remain challenges
Workers know they need good health. For many, what they get every day is catered food which "nobody like".
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Such is our lot: Awareness of law violations and reluctance to confront them
In this brief study, we assessed migrant workers' awareness of three key legal protections and, if violated, what holds them back from asserting their rights.
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Injury claim unattended to for a year, worker left helpless
A doctor wrote a memo to an employer saying that a worker's injury had stabilised and that he was ready for compensation; the memo disappeared into a black hole.
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Burden of proof: who requested work on a rest day?
Singapore's law on overtime makes a distinction between an employer's request and employee's request. Which party bears the burden of proof?
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Human cargo and Singapore exceptionalism
It is sickening news to hear of another worker killed while riding on the back of a lorry – an unsafe practice the Singapore government refuses to ban.
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Work permit holder has never met his boss, directed by agent to work here and there
Despite having worked 15 months, a foreign worker has not met his boss; it's his agent who gives him work and pays his salary. The arrangement smells fishy.
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Faruk’s career journey and how much he has paid to agents along the way
Agents earn huge sums off the backs of migrant workers from Bangladesh coming to work in Singapore. Do these agents contribute to our economy?
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Violence aboard lorries – from equipment
A worker on a lorry that met with an accident died in December. It's common to carry both men and equipment together on the back of lorries. We speak to three workers about the danger
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Singapore’s Stern Warnings: criteria, comparisons and concerns
The basis for issuing stern warnings is loose and opaque; factually innocent people can be slapped with warnings, and then be administratively penalised.
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Fifty kilos of cement and how law can turn into farce
Eleven months after hurting his back carrying cement, Hulyah describes how his Wica injury claim is coming along
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Worker resists boss’ demand for kickbacks. “Don’t play with me,” warns boss
A boss demands more than half a worker's salary back, for a reason that shifts from time to time, including levy.
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Worker invested $1,000 to upgrade himself; then a letter from MOM arrived
A worker went through a skills upgrading course and took an exam. He passed. All went well for six years untill a letter from MOM arrived at his employer's office.
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Survey finds 5.6 percent still paid salaries in cash
From a survey of mostly Indian Tamil migrant workers conducted in October 2024, 5.6 percent was still paid salaries in cash. 12.2 percent were paid later than permitted by law.
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Overworked and overlooked: the scourge of excess overtime
Many workers who come to TWC2 with salary issues have time sheets or payslips that show them being asked to worked inhumanly long hours. Surely, employers know the law?
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MOM says our story on wrongful dismissal was inaccurate – who is being inaccurate now?
MOM says our story about Tan Zhengchun was inaccurate and risked risk undermining public trust and confidence. we show you how MOM's own statement was inaccurate.
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Massively short-paid, yet too vulnerable to file a complaint
Promised in writing a salary of $4,000 a month, yet never paid more than half or two-thirds of that, what is a migrant worker to do? What's the likely cost of seeking salary justice?
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The tooth fairy going around in endless circles
A tooth was chipped and cracked. The saga begins. Ten months on, the worker still hasn't received proper treatment.
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Body screams “rest”; boss says “work”
A not uncommon story of a worker made to work excessive overtime and most Sundays.
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Operations manager who took kickbacks from workers jailed 24 months
A manager goes to prison for taking kickbacks from migrant workers. The impact on workers who had to pay was terrible. As positive a step this is, a far bigger issue contines to need attention.
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We ask three men, all three had high regard for our hospitals
We poll three workers about their experiences at Singapore hospitals. They speak well of the professionalism and efficiency they see.
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Ever seen negative salary? We just did
A worker's salary deductions each month exceed his basic monthly salary. If not for long hours of overtime, he would have to pay his employer for working. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
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Dinesh and Venish fall victim to a (made-in-Singapore?) recruitment scam
A message came into TWC2's help centre, telling us about a fake IPAs and how two workers in India paid money and were victims of a scam. Why are IPAs so easy to forge?
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Pane Rubati and their baker, part 2
Unable to resolve his grievances within the company, our baker resigns and files a salary claim; the surprises along the way!
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Pane Rubati and their baker, part 1
A Burmese worker tells us about discrimination over rest days, misleading recruitment and uncompensated overtime; his attempts to resolve them internaly led nowhere.
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Why don’t migrant workers benefit from medical subsidies?
In Singapore, the State provides little help for migrant workers' healthcare costs. Employers and private insurance are held responsible, but the responsibility is often evaded. Then what? Nothing?
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Sometimes, there is light
Despite great efforts at TWC2, workers don't often get full satisfaction over their grievances. And then when we least expect it, things turn out right.
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Parliamentary replies on innocent victims, wrongful dismissal, and numbers of salary claims
The Manpower Minister sheds a bit of light on these issues through answers to parliamentary questions in September 2024
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Parliamentary replies on religious harmony, dorm improvements and older domestic workers
The Manpower Minister sheds a bit of light on these issues through answers to parliamentary questions in September 2024
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How poor documentation can undermine salary rights
After four years in his job, a worker gets promoted and his salary increased. Then paydays get pushed back further and further. Ratham needs to prove how much he is owed, but there's a snag.
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We ask four men, all four had payslip issues
We picked four men at random from our free meals programme and ask them about their payslips. All four had issues with them.
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Pope Francis calls for fair wages for migrant workers in Singapore
Pope Francis, during his visit to Singapore in September 2024, spoke about the need for fair wages for migrant workers. MOM responded to his comment, but what did MOM say?
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Rivers and roads: Bangladeshi workers’ experiences with public transport
Migrant workers can be source of interesting facts about their home countries. Here, they tell us about public transport.
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Taiwan opening its doors to migrant workers from India
Taiwan is opening its manufacturing labour market to Indian workers. It's a hot topic there, and Taiwan Public TV interviewed three persons and two clients from TWC2.
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IPA tampering permits misrepresentation during recruitment
We have a law that says the In-Principle Approval in its entirety must reach the foreign worker 3 days before he leaves for Singapore. Now we have a case study where it didn't. How did
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Sending kisses your way
The 2023 Employment Standards Report revealed a big increase in salary claims over 2022. Case officers in both TADM and TWC2 have increasing workload; their jobs are not easy. Shouldn't prevention be a higher priority?
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Six days we work hard, seventh day we paddle hard
TWC2 sponsored a team of dragon-boaters at this year's competition. For a year before that, the men and women had trained every weekend, but everything was doubly hard for them.
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The 20-day obstacle course
The no-consent transfer scheme – do workers know about it? Do they make use of it? Are they successful in transferring to new jobs if their Work Permits are not renewed?
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Wrongful dismissal, second of two July 2024 cases
Work Permit holders are often summarily terminated. Yet our laws contain clauses about wrongful dismissal. When would a dismissal be wrongful? We had a test case before the Employment Claims Tribunal.
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Wrongful dismissal, first of two July 2024 cases
A worker went to MOM and TADM saying he was being asked to work 14 hours a day, which he refused, and that he was then fired. He was told that he had no case.
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TWC2 notches twenty years of service in August 2024
To mark TWC2's twentieth anniversary, we put up a series of seven videos discussing issues still bedevilling the migrant worker space.
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Broken foot, yet reluctant to report accident to Manpower Ministry
Robiul's foot is in a cast. He's not able to work. He's afraid of losing his job and doesn't know what to do next, but he resists our advice. We try to figure out why.
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Proud fathers
While stuck in Singapore awaiting the conclusion of his salary claim, a construction worker talks about his family and his hopes about his own future.
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Seven checkboxes on page two
A worker shows us a document wherein his employer had declared that the worker did not pay any recruitment fees or costs. Then the worker tells us what he had to pay.
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Keep the dog, discard the worker
A domestic worker was savaged by the family dog, leaving permanent injuries. MOM has no system for getting justice for her. She's on her own and needs a lawyer.
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As the sun sets and the moon rises
Our volunteer sits down with several Bangladeshi workers and chats about anything that comes to mind. Migrant workers reveal different and interesting profiles.
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International construction company indicted for forced labour involving migrant workers
An international construction company is facing claims in a French court over allegations of forced labour, etc, related to its projects in Qatar. Watch out: the issues alleged are common in Singapore firms too.
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Jahirul assaulted and thrown to the wolves, part 2
The back story of Jahirul's journey to Singapore is even worse than the Part 1 story of being assaulted by his boss. Uncomfortable questions arise about the Singapore "system".
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Jahirul assaulted and thrown to the wolves, part 1
Six weeks into his job as a landscaping worker, Jahirul was assaulted by his boss and terminated from the job. Do bosses not care about morale and productivity? What skewed incentives promote such behaviour?
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How to fall in love with Singapore
Although he was short-paid by this third employer – and that's why he came to TWC2 for help – Jack comes across as a happy worker. He absolutely loves working in for Singapore companies.
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Torrents of water and a big bottle of shampoo
Our writer chats casually with workers at the Cuff Road Project. Then the conversation turns serious. We don't get cyclones in Singapore but we can't say it's got nothing to do with us
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Payslips, eight years on
One in six Work Permit holders in the construction and related industries still do not get payslips regularly with each payday, our survey found. But aren't payslips required by law?
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Shipyard worker’s tale punctures any claim of human rights compliance
We encountered yet another worker with a shockingly low salary and very high recruitment costs. He is a shipyard worker - the very industry under pressure from its international customers to clean up its act.
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Not all worker stories are sad, not all bosses are bad
We ask some workers if they've ever worked under "good bosses". Two said yes. What what do they consider as a "good boss"? Are their expectations high or low?
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Let this end with me
This research report examines the recruitment experiences of male migrant workers from Tamil Nadu, focussing on how much they paid to get their jobs, to whom and where. How do these costs compare with salary?
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Shoriful looks back on a decade and more of pain, comfort and joy
A worker comes by TWC2 to say hello. We know him from a decade ago when we were the only help he could find. Life is much better now, but he isn't forgetting.
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Deal with causes of stress rather than only help workers cope
In a letter to the press (so far not published), TWC2 past president John Gee urges a better response to mental health concerns.
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Understanding the IPA
Singapore is justifiably proud that we have a system for informing prospective workers what their salary entitlements will be before they come to Singapore for a new job. Do workers understand this document?
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Blocked from switching to another job, a worker forced to work for same employer
Eman wanted help to draft a resignation letter. We ask a few questions, and hear a story about how his employer blocked him from moving to another job. Repeatedly.
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Training centres: another way to rip off migrant workers
Two Bangladeshi workers tell TWC2 that they paid for upskilling courses but didn't get a certificate. One didn't even get any training course. Singapore's dirty underbelly needs authorities' attention, not neglect.
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If unemployed, yet required by authorities to remain in Singapore, where do they stay?
Accused persons and prosecution witnesses are asked to stay on in Singapore till trial dates. Where do they stay in the meantime? Who pays?
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No popping of champagne after salary claim victory
With TWC2's help. a worker wins most of his salary claim at the Tribunal. It's a bittersweet victory because it's taken nine expensive months to get satisfaction. What systems defects need fixing?
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Occupational hazards that come charging out
Migrant worker Khan is back in Singapore, fully recovered from his injuries. He comes by the Cuff Road Project to say hello to old friends. But how was he injured?
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When data reaches its use-by date
One of our volunteers walked past a law office. She was shocked to see piles of paper, almost surely containing personal details of injured migrant workers, lying on the sidewalk. Anyone could have taken them.
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Where I stay is a dump, but it’s still better than…
A worker finds his own place to live. There are daily frustrations. What if his employer found a place for him in a dorm? Would he prefer that?
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Injured workers’ ordeal: tar pits
The Work Injury Compensation Act is meant to provide a simplified route for work injury claims. What's the reality like, post 2019 when MOM delegated the processing of claims to insurance companies?
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Council of the European Union adopts new supply chain rules
The EU is now only one step away from requiring large companies to exercise due diligence over their supply chains, including labour abuses. Singapore companies will be affected since we trade so widely.
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Employer bullies worker. Can nothing be done?
For several days, despite intervention by MOM, a worker had nowhere to sleep after he was turfed out of this dorm. Even when this was resolved, the issue of meals became a bone of contention.
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MOM responds to our article on payslips, we dissect its reply
MOM takes issue with our article on payslips. They seem too eager to defend themselves that they make rather questionable statements. We dissect them.
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Blessed imprisonment
Rari Sumon's story indicates that several laws could have been broken. The shocking thing is that among the actors were MOM officers.
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“Most of the time, I was crying” – victim of job scam
A well-educated guy got a job as a Construction Site Supervisor. The first day on the job, he was astonished what he was asked to do. An anatomy of a scam.
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From Rajasthan to the Ministry of Manpower, part 2
When the law says an employer is responsible for providing food, yet the food is not culturally appropriate, can MOM require the employer to provide a meal allowance instead?
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From Rajasthan to the Ministry of Manpower, part 1
It's not often we see a client from Northwestern India. We seize the opportunity to profile his experience in Singapore. Unfortunately, his story is similar to that of many other workers.
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A life back on track
A worker comes by our free meals station. Another career wrecked by the unexpected? No, the opposite. He brings good news and joy.
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“You are playing with my life,” says worker to agent
Lately, TWC2 has been receiving more and more complaints from workers that they were issued IPAs for jobs they had not agreed to. We help them get the IPAs cancelled.
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Court tells worker his TADM-prepared claims calculations are wrong. Who can help him calculate correctly?
After six months of unsuccessful mediation, a worker's salary claim is referred to the Employment Claims Tribunal. He is shocked when the claims calculations prepared by MOM's TADM unit is rejected as wrong.
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Eight thousand dollars gone in a couple of months
Dul comes to TWC2 with a multi-layered problem. He tells us how he was recruited and what happened soon after he started working for the employer. But is there a solution?
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MC wages: Despite law, injured workers left to beg for money
The work injury law seeks to provide help and comfort to employees injured at work. Delays in extending its protections (medical care, financial support) can lead to great suffering. Yet delay is increasingly condoned.
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Despite being insured, worker didn’t get the needed surgery
Employers are required to buy insurance to cover medical costs. And then they are given the freedom to obstruct or delay. What happened to Alom as a result?
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A shipyard worker’s salary over ten years
A shipyard worker tells our translator about his salary history. It's interesting when we compare his salary against Singapore's Progressive Wage Model that strongarms employers to abide by salary floors. But there's a twist.
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How the law on payslips slips away into irrelevance
MOM preaches about employees' right to payslips, but when Kajal asked for help to enforce his right, nothing happens. It's a widespread problem.
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Liton the usual
Shipyard worker Liton comes to TWC2 for the first time. It takes only minutes before we hear the usual issues, including that he had to pay for his job.
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Cook wins salary case despite employer cooking up evidence
TWC2 helped Bangladeshi cook Nazmul win his unpaid salary at the Employment Claims Tribunal. We recount the difficulties in the case and the arguments that ultimately prevailed.
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Over half of CMP work permit holders underpaid for their overtime work
Wage theft is frequently seen in the way employers flout the law regarding overtime pay. We conducted a survey with a large sample size (992 respondents). Results were sobering.
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Bangladeshi workers to get 5 percent incentive for their remittances
The Bangladesh authorities are giving top-ups of five percent to every remittance sent home. It seems very generous. But there is one unintended consequence. Did anyone foresee it?
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Authorities’ non-enforcement of the law might have helped an employer steal money from a worker
Hasan asked MOM to press his employer to provide copies of his payslips. It's his right under the law. Nothing was produced. His salary claim had to be abandoned.
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The risks of home leave
Home leave is a precious thing for migrant workers who are away from their families for years. It can also be a trap, courtesy of Singapore's employer-friendly regulations.
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Two examples of trafficking indicator deceptive recruitment
Details of how fraud and deception were involved in the recruitment of two workers. This is a serious indicator of human trafficking.
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How filing a salary claim is like going to a casino
Ministers have told parliament that workers who have suffered salary violations will be granted a chance to transfer to a new job without first being sent home. So, why was Alom repatriated?
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Thoughtless zoning and a dorm in the middle of nowhere
Workers waste hours waiting for a shuttle bus out of a dorm built five km from public transport. Why is the dorm even there?
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After a worker is hurt, all goes smoothly until…
A worker is injured. Unlike many other workers who come to TWC2 for help, BIllal's case seemed to be going smoothly. His employer was doing its part.
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Why do Bangladeshis choose to work in Singapore?
Our volunteer tries to understand the experiences of young Bangladeshi men that motivate them to seek work abroad.
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Work injury paralegal taken to court over insurance monies
A case before the courts may at last shine a light on the shady practices of freelance paralegals out to make money from workers' misfortunes.
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“One room sleeping 26 man”
Are cramped dormitories a thing of the past? We ask four workers at random. Meanwhile rents are increasing as foreign worker numbers rise.
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Getting sick can cost more than just five dollars
Since April 2022, migrant workers in dorms should have had access to primary care doctors with co-payment of just five dollars. Our study looks at uptake and workers' perceptions of the scheme.
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After a worker is hurt, the mirage of a supportive employer
Two workers describe how employer-employee relationships went rapidly downhill once they got injured or asserted their rights. Is this work culture, Singapore-style?
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Payslips law widely flouted, hardly any enforcement
Salary issues rank among the top problems workers come to TWC2 for help with. But shoddy or absent payslips make salary issues hard to solve. This is despite the fact that legal requirements are clear.
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Food as power tools
This study explores the dimension of food and mealtimes in the relationship between employers and domestic workers. It unveils the adjustments domestic workers must accept to avoid friction.
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MC money not paid. Again.
Over two and half months, our intern observed how common complaints were by injured workers about not receiving their medical leave wages. She reflects on what she heard from the men.
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Struggles and sacrifices as cost of living rises
What changed for migrant workers between 2019 (pre-Covid) and 2023 - in terms of salary, food costs, remittances, etc? A report from a survey of nearly 500 workers and focus group discussions.
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TWC2’s digital service desk
As her two months with us came to an end, we asked an intern to reflect critically on the primary tool she was using to provide information and assistance to workers – the Trengo platform.
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The weight of off-topic comments
The things that migrant workers spontaneously mention to TWC2 gives us insight into their concerns. They begin with a cockroach.
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How do workers know about TWC2?
Unlike TWC2's WhatsApp number which is regularly advertised, we almost never tell workers the address of the Cuff Road Project, where workers can also come for assistance. So how do they know about it?
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Despite law, some workers still paid in cash
It's been the rule for years now, but we keep seeing workers who were paid in cash rather than through bank accounts. Is there any enforcement?
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From dirty to forgotten: inadequate provision for laundry in dorms
Laundry is a regular routine for nearly everyone. What have migrant workers living in dormitories to say about this? Our intern finds out.
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Levy not paid, Mamun left in no-man’s land
Employers of foreign workers must pay a monthly levy to the government. Mamun and his coworkers found that their boss hadn't paid for months; their work permits revoked.
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They have bank cards, but are they going cashless? Part 2
Even though most migrant workers have bank cards and half of them have Visa- or Mastercard-enabled cards, the majority were still using cash to top up their transit cards.
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They have bank cards, but are they going cashless? Part 1
We stake stock whether more workers now have bank accounts, and what kinds of bank cards are issued to them. Clear improvement since 2016.
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The hazards of driving
Four drivers had rather alarming stories to tell. Mostly, they felt they were working against their will and a danger to others on the road and themselves. But what could they do about it?
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Here for 46 days, worked for 24
Ponmugan spoke no English. His only experience of work was as a casual day labourer. What happens when he's thrown into our bureaucratic workstyle.
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Twenty years from now, where will our cheap labour come from?
Singapore is facing a migrant labour cruch that is many times worse than what we experienced during Covid, albeit that it may be 20 years away. But we're not mentally ready to prepare and adapt.
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How ‘lip service’ sends business to illegal recruiters
We were glad that MOM re-affirmed ministers' statements that workers with valid salary claims will get permission to transfer to new jobs, but how does it work in practice?
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Foreign workforce numbers, 2022
Latest figures from the Ministry of Manpower show how the numbers of foreign workers have more than bounced back since Covid-19.
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Is Singapore being scolded by the ILO?
We came across an interesting comment on the website of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It sounded stern even if shrouded in diplomatic language.
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Food left outside dorms while serious thinking left outside minds, part 2
Why is bad food for migrant workers such an intractable issue? Because it is a complex one that requires policy overhaul from the top, but policy overhaul requires an admission that current policy is failing.
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Food left outside dorms while serious thinking left outside minds, part 1
In April 2023, the Straits Times reported on the leaving of food packets beside roadways and in open fields – food meant for migrant workers; we say the catering system will never work.
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In wet clothes all day
TWC2 asks workers what they think about being transported on the back of lorries. And do they think anything will improve?
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Blue-collar recruitment platform ready to fly
A start-up developing a low-cost recruitment platform showed TWC2 their model and asked for our views. We were encouraged by what we saw.
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The mess over rest day pay starts from the top
To a Parliamentary question, the Manpower Minister revealed how little his ministry did over rest day pay violations. He also revealed the stunningly employer-forgiving attitude his ministry adopts even when violations are found.
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Human trafficking: Another case of contract substitution
Mithon's story is one of overcharging and deception, with clear indications of human trafficking. MOM's response is one of helping him get back a little bit of money. That's all.
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When abroad, there’s no place like phone
Mother's Day may be a commercialised Western concept, but everybody has a mother, inclduing the migrant workers here. We speak to them about this key person in their lives.
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Second-generation case management system goes live
We marked another milestone on 1 May 2023 when we inaugurated our second-generation case management application. This helps TWC2 become even more efficient in our work.
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Reflections on the development of our second case management system
Alex Au was the lead on the client (TWC2) side for the development of our second case-management system. We ask him about some of the key learnings in the course of this project.
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The price of labour migration: dreadful catered meals
Our volunteer spent two months interviewing workers seeking their perspective on the meals they get in the dormitories. Choice is an unknown concept.
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Hang it on the dormitory wall
Asad is propably overqualified to be a work permit holder in Singapore. Why is he even here? He explains his rationale, and yup, it's totally logical.
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Lorryloads of workers driven through a legal loophole
Is it common to underpay workers in construction and related trades for working on their usual days-off? We ran a survey to find out, and were rather taken aback at the results.
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Rest day pay disparity disadvantages low-wage workers
Singapore's Employment Act has a blurry bifurcation re pay entitlement for working on a rest day. It permits employers to exploit workers, especially low-wage ones with little bargaining power.
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The gardener with a nice smile
A TWC2 volunteer came across a worker from India, working as a gardener is a prestigious location. She asked him about his salary. It was not prestigious.
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Covid is over, let’s extract money from migrant workers again, part 2
Border closures during Covid-19 disrupted the supply-demand equation for migrant workers. A year after borders re-opened, we speak with three re-migrating workers: how much did you pay to get your jobs?
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Covid is over, let’s extract money from migrant workers again, part 1
Border closures during Covid-19 disrupted the supply-demand equation for migrant workers. A year after borders re-opened, we speak with three first-time workers: how much did you pay to get your jobs?
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Rescuing Nony
A domestic worker called for help. Soon after, her phone connection fell silent and we feared the worst. But where was she? How to locate her?
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Lost in the Garden City – Singapore’s migrant worker system and the Sustainable Development Goals
Singapore says it is committed to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Our report examines what the reality of our migrant labour scene says about implementation and progress.
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Injury compensation – how did $57,000 become $11,000?
A worker heard from his employer that his injury compensation would be $11,520. He would later discover that the insurance company offered five times more.
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Shouldn’t workers in industrial trades have a fair grasp of English?
Singapore wants to raise productivity, go digital and integrate migrant workers better. What if they don't speak a word of English?
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Contract substitution still happening in 2023
In recent weeks, TWC2 came across two workers with contracts they felt compelled to sign after they had begun working in their companies. They felt volated by the unfair terms imposed on them.
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After 22 years in Singapore, a career ends
Selvakumar has spent almost all his working life in Singapore. Does he feel much better off now than when he first came?
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Stern warning – punishment without due process
Although a stern warning is not supposed to affect "legal rights, interests, or liabilities" we found that it's not quite true when issued to migrant workers. The effects therefore constitute punishment without due process.
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We Are Caring – first recruiter worldwide to gain IOM IRIS certification
The very first recruitment agency to be certified as ethical by the International Organisation for Migration is none other than Singapore recruiter We Are Caring. Fantastic. Congratulations to the team there.
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Two generations of migrant workers
Two sons tell us what their fathers' basic wages were when the latter were working in Singapore. An older worker tells us what his starting salary was over twenty years ago, and what his current
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No greater satisfaction than a trembling hand
Chen Le was determined to clear his name. But what about that gaping wound? Follow this worker as he goes from one agency to another.
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How an employer used the ministry’s flat-footedness to abuse Farhad of his right
Farhad did not agree to renewal of his permit after 3 years in the company. Under the regulations, he had a right to look for another company. but this right was effectively denied him.
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The sad rabbit
In January 2023, some migrant workers will enjoy a three-day stretch of holidays, on account of Chinese New Year. There will be many who will not.
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At the Cuff Road Project: #3 of three profiles
What do we do at The Cuff Road Project? We profile three instances where workers came for help in addition to benefitting from our free meals.
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At the Cuff Road Project: #2 of three profiles
What do we do at The Cuff Road Project? We profile three instances where workers came for help in addition to benefitting from our free meals.
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At the Cuff Road Project: #1 of three profiles
What do we do at The Cuff Road Project? We profile three instances where workers came for help in addition to benefitting from our free meals. This is the first of three.
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Company presented a waiver signed by injured worker; judge throws it out
A badly injured worker sued his employer for negligence. The company said he had agreed to waive his right of action against the company.
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Two loans and their interest rates
Two workers shared with us how much they borrowed to fund their recruitment. They also laid out their repayment schedules. With a bit of math, a stunning picture emerges.
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Job search: a clash of operating systems
We heard that two years ago, a worker was penalised for being involved with recruitment, though he protested his innocence. This tiny tale tells us a a much bigger story.
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For an experienced worker, some things improve, others remain the same
Khan got his latest job without paying an agent's fee, but he was still faced with an unreasonable and bullying employer. What are the reasons that produce such outcomes?
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Acquitted, yet punished – Rahman’s story
Rahman was charged for rioting. He was innocent, and ultimately acquitted. Then he was punished. How did that happen?
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Labour crunch during pandemic reveals hopeful possibilities for recruitment cost
When the construction industry faced a severe manpower shortage due to Covid-19 border closures, a funny thing happened to recruitment costs. Knowing the phenomenon would be ephemeral, a snapshot study was conducted.
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Hanging plastic sheets is a matter fraught with “operational complexities”
The government announced new rules to improve safety and welfare for workers carried on the backs of lorries. We couldn't find anything meaningful among the new measures.
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Rana takes Law Society to court
What began as a personal injury case evolved into a complaint of unprofessional conduct against a lawyer, and when that complaint was handled badly, into a law suit against the Law Society.
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MOM’s domestic worker rest day guide – permissive mush
MOM's published a Guide for employers regarding the mandatory rest day for domestic workers that cannot be bought back. The new rule takes effect on 1 Jan 2023.
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Arranging bail
When a migrant worker is arrested by the police, put into remand and charged with a serious offence, what are the immediate issues that he is faced with? We recount one worker's experience.
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How Singapore abets forced labour
Six worker cases illustrate how Singapore's work permit system constrains the freedom of workers to refuse a job, putting them at risk of having to serve an employer against their will.
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“They are blackmailing me,” says Shariful. “They want to reduce my salary.”
Singapore allows employers to act in bad faith while pretending to have rules that allow retention of skills and experience.
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From $20,000 to $510
For his first job in Singapore, Hossain Imran had to fork out $20,000. For his latest job, he dealt directly with his prospective employer. His experience tells us what recruitment reform should look like.
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Flung from one holding cell to another
No clear answer could be obtained whether a worker was eligible to work in Singapore again. MOM said Yes, but ICA quietly marked him as a No. What then happened?
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Shakib and Taher look for jobs
Two men had to look for new jobs. One was in Bangladesh and the other was in Singapore. Different outcomes.
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The long lockdown, part 6: Stopping distance
On 24 June 2022, MOM retired the Exit Pass system and workers could go out freely. And still workers were calling TWC2 saying they were confined. What does this say about policy effectiveness?
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The long lockdown, part 5: Hear the silence
Months into 2022, Special Pass holders remained stuck in dorms even as more and more Work Permit holders were allowed to go out. What about getting the press to highlight this injustice?
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The long lockdown, part 4: Hear the men speak
We ask two workers to describe what exactly were the barriers they faced when they needed to leave their dorms. A third worker shares a screenshot of a WhatsApp exchange.
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The long lockdown, part 3: The forbidden photocopy shop
Through her two months with us, our intern spoke with many workers complaining about being confined in their dorms. She shares her reflections here.
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The long lockdown, part 2: Regulation 2C
What are the legal provisions that enable MOM or employers to confine workers in dorms? Is MOM even complying with its own rules?
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The long lockdown, part 1: Timeline
Over 300,000 migrant workers were locked down in their dormitories in April 2020. They would not be allowed to go out for leisure until 17 months later, when a tiny trickle were allowed out.
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Segmentation by nationality in Singapore’s construction industry – a comparison of Thais and Bangladeshis
Singapore's construction labour force is characterised by a noticeable stratification by nationality. A study by a former TWC2 volunteer throws light on one reason why.
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Sinkholes on the road home
The permanent night shift made Zhong literally ill, but the employer would not allow a shift change. So he resigned, but going home was one problem after another.
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Highrise hell and the kindness of strangers
One domestic worker had a blistered abdomen, another had blistered hands. Both felt they could tolerate their employment no longer. But leaving was not easy.
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Two men broke our laws, sent to jail
Musa and Akkas were sent to jail. They had tried to find a way to survive and this landed them in trouble.
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Job restrictions, dorm restrictions, tasteless food – migrant workers’ priority concerns
Many Singaporeans, even though well meaning, think that migrant worker issues would be solved if only we "integrated" them better into Singapore society. Is that really a priority for migrant workers themselves?
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Ready, lights, camera, action!
Although he has worked many years in Singapore before, Elyas arrives in Singapore in February 2022 for a new job. He tells us two interesting things about the recruitment process.
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Laws as cobwebs
MOM's directive that all dormitory-based workers must be paid their salaries through bank is nearly two years old. Yet a worker recently came to TWC2 saying he was paid in cash.
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As borders reopen and workers return, so do the usual abuses
Borders are open and workers are coming back. So are the age-old abuses such as excessive recruitment fees and worker churn.
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About 36,000 construction workers came into Singapore in November and December 2021
Some updates to keep up with the rapidly evolving situation regarding manpower shortages in the construction industry.
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Personal data of domestic workers posted on public forum
TWC2 found postings on a publicly-accessible forum divulging personal data of domestic workers. Whilst these have been taken down, there remains a broader issue of social attitudes.
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Difficulties getting aboard the SCAL retention scheme
A review of cases related to the SCAL retention scheme identified the main obstacles workers faced in getting onto the scheme. These obstacles meant more work at MOM and reduced effectiveness of the scheme.
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60 percent of construction demand stems from public sector projects
The public sector is a huge buyer of construction. That weight can be applied for good. Government projects should come with ethical labour requirements.
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Vietnamese worker in Japan repeatedly assaulted for two years
Local media carried a story about a migrant worker in Japan repeatedly asssaulted at work. There are many similarities to cases we see here in Singapore. What's needs to be done?
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Facebook publicity insufficient if definition of ‘kickback’ remains narrow
It is good to see MOM put out warnings to employers on Faceboook against taking kickbacks, but if previous cases are any guide, few complaints by workers get anywhere.
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More transport vehicles needed so migrant workers don’t have to sleep rough
Workers are sent by their employers to worksites way too early before their shift starts, thus depriving them of sufficient rest in their beds at the dorms.
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Blacklisted: Imagined fears or unspoken reality?
Many low-wage migrant workers fear that lodging any complaint with the authorities may lead to their being blacklisted. Is this real or imagined? Our intern investigates.
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International Migrants Day 2021
As is our tradition at TWC2, we marked International Migrants Day 2021 by adding cheer to workers' lives. Find out what we did.
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Worker acquitted of charges. Yet, is he barred from working in Singapore?
Prosecutors dropped charges reportedly for lack of evidence. Yet Kirpal Singh was given a stern warning, which in many cases means the worker cannot work here again. Wouldn't this be unjust?
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Work permit approval process weaponised for blackmail
Boss and worker agreed to renew work permit, but renewal process got stuck. Another company laid claim to the worker; its IPA approved by the Manpower ministry.
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Work permit approval process weaponised for retaliation
Dulal did not want to work for the current employer anymore. He would find a new job. The employer's reaction was to shackle him. The manpower ministry provided the metaphorical shackle.
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46 days’ quarantine for worker arriving from Bangladesh
A worker who came to Singapore in September 2021 gives us details of the pre-departure and post-arrival quarantines he had to serve.
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What a choice company!
It began when a worker said a company had gotten a Work Permit for him, except that he did not apply for a job there.
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No-consent period for job transfers “adjusted”, in effect shrunk
MOM's "adjustment" of the no-consent period makes it contingent upon employers giving consent. Circular logic?
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Abuse as everyday communication
Migrant workers report being shouted and screamed at quite regularly. Occasionally, a worker has a recording of the abuse. Listen to the short audio.
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Slaying dragons: Omar’s quest for a new job
Omar asked for a raise at Work Permit renewal. The employer refused. With the permit expiring, he thought he could use MOM's no-consent period to get a new job.
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TWC2 and HOME submit a compliance report on Singapore for ICERD
Singapore's migrant labour management flow along lines that look like ethnic discrimination. Workers in certain sectors are treated differently from those in other sectors, but sectors are only open to certain nationalities.
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Battling to get needles into arms
In July and August 2021, TWC2 struggled against an unresponsive system to get vaccinations for a special group of migrant workers. The details of our experience speak volumes about Singapore's "efficiency".
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At last, a (temporary) scheme to retain construction workers — more dirigiste allocation than real choice
MOM announced a temporary retention scheme to keep laid-off construction workers in Singapore. Six workers kept us informed of their experience while waiting for new jobs.
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Video: First day out
A busload of migrant workers are given a half day out from confinement from their dorms. They tell us what they feel. Video by Wee Kim Wee School students.
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On average, Indian and Bangladeshi migrant workers stay 4.2 years with the same employer, our survey finds
Shockingly, staring salaries, adjusted for inflation, have steadily declined over twenty years.
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Covid-19 crisis at Jalan Tukang dormitory — some immediate comments from TWC2
Hundreds of mostly unvaccinated workers came down with Covid-19 at a dormitory, but the scene was set well before by government policies or neglect.
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Is this right? Ministry official suggests to worker that he should overstay
MOM said they needed 3 weeks to process the new employer's work pass application, but Saifuddin's pass would expire in one week.
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On wrongful dismissal, TADM’s conception of its role is deeply flawed
TADM's conception of its mediation role, in our view, undermines the neutrality one would expect of it and intentionally or not, creates a bias against employees.
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Government announces new standards for control of virus, packaged as new dorm standards
The Ministry of Manpower announced new dormitory standards in September 2021. They're nearly all about control and surveillance, not comfort and wellbeing.
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800 deaths a year — and life carries on normally
Covid-19 is not the only easily transmissible disease around. There's another and it's been killing more people for years. Yet, we didn't lock up our workers.
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How the Westlite Juniper cluster shows the argument for locking up workers is flawed
Far from justifying continued confinement of migrant workers in dorms, the cluster in Westlite Juniper shows how hollow the argument for confinement is.
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Letter in the Straits Times: TADM’s role in wrongful dismissal claims is to mediate, not adjudicate
TWC2 points out in a letter to the press that in handling wrongful dismissal claims, TADM tends to exceed its powers.
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Research report: Barriers and facilitators to Covid-19 vaccination among migrant domestic workers
This research study mapped the unique obstacles (and enablers) to Covid-19 vaccination pertinent to migrant domestic workers in Singapore.
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Danny and Lin needed medical care but their employers ducked, part 2
The doctor said he had to operate, telling the patient not to worry about the cost since the employer should have insurance cover. "What?" she said. "I didn't know."
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Danny and Lin needed medical care, but their employers ducked, part 1
Danny was faced with a $34,000 hospital bill and was looking for help. Our first questions were: Why isn't the employer paying? What's the law for?
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Our letter in Straits Times Forum: Ensure pilot schemes to bring migrant workers in are well thought through
Pilot programmes to bring in new batches of workers are being planned. We urge that details be thought through carefully and all workers be vaccinated.
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About 960 complaints about kickbacks investigated each year – how embarrassing!
MOM gave this figure in a parliamentary reply. It's only a topline number. Look beneath it and it's a scene of buzzing flies.
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The medical fund, Sajjad and his operation
A day by day account of how TWC2 helped a worker get treatment without delay after he fell down a flight of stairs.
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If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck …
A TWC2 volunteer went for a walk and came across a six-metre high hoarding. What is the ugliness that it is trying to hide from our view?
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Two more maid abuse cases come before the courts
Two maid abuse cases together throw a spotlight on an underlying issue: the difficulty migrant workers face when trying to get out of unhappy jobs.
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For two furniture makers, life amidst luxury
Ziaur and Miah work for a furniture manufacturer. Plush sofas, polished wood and the glint of brass surround them. What's there not to like?
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Rule change: domestic workers to enjoy one compulsory day off a month
Multiple measures to try to deal with abusive confinement of maids. How well will they work? Are there better, less-costly solutions?
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Worker needs surgery. Employer, dorm, government non-enforcement all get in the way
A worker needed surgery but his employer would not pay for it despite having medical insurance. TWC2 got it done but before he could fully recover, more hurdles....
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No information on vaccine, yet no vaccine hesitancy
In a recent study, male migrant workers were keen on getting vaccinated but there are problems with getting information and getting vaccination slots
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Some latest numbers on dorm population and vaccination
Triangulating from various figures published recently, the latest estimate for Singapore's dorm population is 275,000, of whom about 45% are fully vaccinated.
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Sri Lankan scammer leads man to Singapore slammer
Suresh overstayed. He was caught and went to jail for about a week. After release, he was left in limbo in Singapore for another year and a half.
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Nine medical centres for migrant workers to be set up
MOM plans 9 medical centres across Singapore geared to serving migrant workers, Making provision is good, but if employers stymie demand, healthcare goals may be elusive.
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More loopholes than laws: how Singapore failed to protect John Peter, part 5
Following a detailed documentation of John Peter Ayyavu's salary claim saga, our comments about the weaknesses revealed in Singapore's salary claim system.
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More loopholes than laws: how Singapore failed to protect John Peter, part 4
A detailed documentation of John Peter Ayyavu's salary claim saga. After battling it out for six months, John goes home, his owed wages mostly unrecovered.
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More loopholes than laws: how Singapore failed to protect John Peter, part 3
A detailed documentation of John Peter Ayyavu's salary claim saga. Employer counter-attacks with false and frivolous counter-claims.
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More loopholes than laws: how Singapore failed to protect John Peter, part 2
A detailed documentation of John Peter Ayyavu's salary claim saga. After four months of not being paid, John files a claim at MOM/TADM, the start of a long battle.
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More loopholes than laws: how Singapore failed to protect John Peter, part 1
A detailed documentation of John Peter Ayyavu's salary claim saga. It began with having to pay kickbacks to the boss in order to get the S-Pass job.
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Only fifteen Covid-19 cases among dorm residents in April, May and June 2021; workers still largely locked down
In the second quarter of 2021, there were only 15 cases of Covid-19 in worker dormitories, a mere fraction of cases in Singapore.
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After forced repatriation thwarted, employer makes Shipon sweat it out
Our laws invest employers with a lot of power over foreign workers. But laws also give workers rights, Bosses can be so intoxicated with power, they get carried away.
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Even experienced workers have bound hands
Exploitation of workers is not a result of ignorance on their part. When even experienced workers are unable to control their fate, there's something wrong with the system.
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So what if you know English? You can still be bullied
Kumar speaks English fluently and he, of all people, should be able to interact with MOM directly over his injury claim, but he still engages a lawyer. Why?
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Paid $5,000 to get job, worked 5 months, in limbo with no income for 18 months
"Who do you think profitted from the $5,000 you paid to get the job?" we ask Abjal. He's pretty sure the boss got half of it. The other half?
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To put food on the table, ‘beloved’ is sent abroad to cry
What's it like to arrive in Singapore, take your first meal here and be confronted with a crowded dorm? Jan Shak Mohabbat recounts his first memories here.
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Hunger Games for real: The Bangladeshi worker abroad
A summary of the webinar we held on 3 June 2021. Includes a full video recording of the 90-minute event.
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Johirul, Monoar and wrongful dismissal, part 3
What do the law and guidelines say about wrongful dismissal? Does the operational process breathe life into the law and guidelines, or smother them?
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Johirul, Monoar and wrongful dismissal, part 2
One week after starting work, Monoar was presented with a demand for a two-year bond and salary deduction. He refused to agree. He was then fired.
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Johirul, Monoar and wrongful dismissal, part 1
The work permit application submitted by the new employer to MOM included a salary deduction that was never agreed with Johirul. The worker objected. He lost the job.
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Reintroducing trade schools won’t be enough to reduce reliance on migrant labour
A letter in Straits Times Forum called for trade skills training for Singaporeans to avoid over-dependence on foreign labour. But that's not the elephant in the room.
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Masud’s wide-eyed days
Many young men in Bangladesh dream of coming to Singapore. We ask Masud what were his impressions when he first came.
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Fans, lockdown and going home
Transfer jobs for migrant workers are plentiful now, as borders are closed. Some laid-off workers still prefer to go home. Why?
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The budget you’ll need for buying a job
Volunteer Nicole asks migrant worker Sadek to tally up how much he paid to secure this third job in Singapore. He also mentions who profitted.
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If fired for refusing to give consent to salary reduction, workers can look to MOM for transfer, says minister
Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo describes what her ministry does in the event that a worker refuses to give consent to a salary reduction demanded by the employer.
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Letter in Straits Times: Allow foreign workers whose work permits have been cancelled to stay and look for new job
TWC2 calls for transfer opportunities for migrant workers whose work permits have been cancelled and those on Special Passes.
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Short of foreign labour, Singapore sending workers home even when they want to stay and work
MOM is fully aware of the dire shortage of foreign labour. Yet, workers are forcibly being sent home nonetheless -- as part of MOM's policy.
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Trapped in overtime hell by rigid (no-)transfer policies
Made to work twice as many overtime hours as permitted by law, paid less than half his entitled salary, yet options for recourse were all pretty bad.
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Seven Covid-19 cases among dorm residents in past six weeks
Six men had jobs involving ships or marine structures. They had all received two doses of vaccine and five were asymptomatic.
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Manpower shortage and our kafala system
Employers acting in self-interest couldn't care less if they hurt the national interest. Singapore unfortunately jealously protects employers' self-interest. It's a dogma thing.
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Vast majority of foreign workers with salary short-payment or non-payment won’t see their employers ‘taken to task’
MOM takes issue with our commentary about different numbers being bandied about re salary claims. Clearer numbers make the root issue even clearer!
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To Arsad, the law feels like empty words
Ten years of loyal service counted for nothing when Arsad got injured. The law that requires employers to support injured workers doesn't mean much either.
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Healthcare for a migrant worker during lockdown: a sackful of painkillers
Mohosin had to edure the months-long lockdown in a dorm. Besides mind-numbing boredom, he was also afflicted with constant pain from an arm injury.
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Shamim’s salary claim comes with a seagoing twist
Work permit holder went to Spain, says wasn't paid his allowances for 82-day cruise. Nor basic and overtime pay for three months.
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Two workers describe how they were housed
By tying workers to their employers, workers stand to lose their jobs should they complain about anything. Rendered powerless, they have to put up with bad housing.
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“The exam of God”
A 17-year-old had to choose between furthering his education or becoming a migrant worker. After five years, has it turned out well?
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US Customs issues seizure order on Top Glove products over labour standards
Recruitment debt, excessive overtime, abusive working and living conditions, and retention of identity documents lead to ban and seizure of company products.
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Nearly 8,000 foreign construction workers had permits cancelled close to expiry date
In the second half fo 2020, Singapore could have lost 10,000 - 20,000 construction workers who would actually have wanted to stay on and work.
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No dormitory case of Covid-19 in month of March 2021
In September 2020, we had 801 Covid-19 cases from the dorms. From October, there has been a dramatic improvement.
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In 1997, the employer paid for training, in 2011 it was a money-sucking show
We speak to two migrant workers frm India and asked them about their first training course. How things have changed... and perhaps for the worse.
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US State Dept’s 2020 human rights report on Singapore
Among the issues touched on are indications of forced labor, restrictions of workers' movement during Covid-19, arrests of foreign workers on terrorism grounds.
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Systemic factors that encourage overstaying need to be addressed
What led Ziaur to overstay? How individual decisions are shaped by policy and how misguided policy imposes costs on the State itself.
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“Maybe it’s better if we just take one dose” and other surprising remarks about vaccination
We dip our toes into this issue of information, attitudes and misinformation towards vaccination among migrant workers, through this quick chat with seven men.
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“Every month cut $100,” says Sanowar. Why?
Sanowar, who has been in Singapore a long time, tells TWC2 how he had to pay for his job and for subsequent Work Permit renewals. It's illegal but it happens.
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Losing the TADM plot
Our volunteer recounts a salary case wherein we felt the TADM mediator to be delivering poor customer service and exceeding his powers.
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Switching jobs: Bravely into the minefield
A deep study of the hazards encountered by migrant workers in their attempts to switch jobs. Rules are complex, costs are high and plans easily derailed.
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Azom trusted his boss, only to have that trust abused
As soon as the lockdown was lifted, Azom's employer reverted from electronic payment of salary to cash. What was the motive?
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Give domestic workers a break
For all the wringing of hands over abuse of domestic workers, one key solution has still not been implemented despite TWC2 proposing it nearly two decades ago.
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Employers claw back cost of stay-home period from arriving workers
MOM says employers must bear the full cost of newly-arriving workers' quarantine stay. Without victim protection, our policy-makers are whistling in the wind.
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Scaffolder’s story surfaces many issues: overtime, injury, salary and kickbacks
Filing an injury claim sometimes precipitates a salary problem as well. Arzu's case shows why. He also tells us about the supervisor and employer taking kickbacks.
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How did 5,000 salary claims a year become 1,400 over five years?
In 2018 and 2019, over 60% of all salary claims were filed by foreign employees. Even digging these basic figures out involved sleuthing. Many things still opaque.
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Without a social safety net, Mutaleb has to rely on charity after an injury
In a split second, a worker's life is turned upside down. It is too easy for employers to simply abandon their injured workers.
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97 percent of employers of dorm-based workers now pay through bank
This represents good improvement, but to be meaningful, more needs to be disclosed as to how this figure was arrived at and what monitoring system is in place.
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Dengue fever leads to whim and spite, all blessed by government policy
Sumon's experience falling ill with dengue uncovers the ugly and callous side of Singapore's kafala system, trapping workers within employers' whim and spite.
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Straits Times’ Migrant Burden: background and commentary
A good video highlighting one of the critical issues in the exploitation of migrant workers -- recruitment costs This article adds more information surrounding it.
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“MOM help me,” says Yasser, declining TWC2 assistance
Some workers feel confident that they can handle their salary claims on their own, declining help and advice from us. We respect their decision.
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Domestic worker dies from abuse and starvation, commentary 2
Baying for blood is easy. Looking unflinchingly at how regulatory policies and priorities contributed to the torture and killing of a domestic worker would be more positive.
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Domestic worker dies from abuse and starvation, commentary 1
The killing of a domestic worker behind closed doors must compel us to reckon with the concept of live-in domestic help. Live-out arrangements have many benefits.
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No major complications in Adnan’s injury case, but still a very long wait
Adnan spent 21 jobless months waiting for his injury claim to conclude. And then had to go home rather than be free to find a new job. Is this good policy?
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TWC2 holds a carnival at Penjuru
With migrant workers still confined to their dormitories, TWC2 holds a carnival near a cluster of dorms to cheer them up and offer any help they need.
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Wanna-be driver hits potholes on way to transfer job
Kawsar is an intelligent guy prepared to make sacrifices to get ahead. He still ends up stymied by bureaucracy as he tries for a transfer job.
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World’s only single-use smart card?
Among the many things in workers' wallets, we occasionally see a two-tone green card with a Bangladeshi logo. Heidi investigates what this card is.
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Europe moves towards supply chain legislation
The European Union is moving towards legislation requiring companies to report on labour abuses in their supply chain, including subcoontractors.
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BBC video: Silicon valley’s online slave market
This documentary about human trafficking may be about Kuwait but the specific factors enabling the problem have parallels in Singapore too. Don't be smug.
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Furious employer pressures worker to go home after he’s injured
If paying medical bills made the employer furious, the prospect of having to pay injury compensation called for more drastic measures. Send worker home!
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What else can be done but live a life of quiet resignation?
A profile of a worker with so many problems we hardly know where to begin. Monzurul may not be the luckiest guy, but his situation is not uncommon either.
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Two men, three accidents, nineteen months
By sheer coincidence, two men show up at TWC2, both have been waiting 19 months for resolution of their work injury claims, with no end in sight.
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Another worker with exploitative salary structure in IPA ‘approved’ by MOM
An example of an employer trying to benefit from lower levy while slashing the wages of an employee to a ridiculous pittance.
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Murad’s case flashes many trafficking indicator lights
Boss was unhappy that Murad found a new job. How to stop him from moving to another employer?
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The thumb dashed it all
Forhad Dewan was relieved when he could go back to work after Covid-19. It didn't last long. He came to us for help, but we had to explain the limits.
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For five years, Alomgir’s employer ignored the law
There's an open secret in Singapore: many employers flout the law on correct calculation of salary with little fear of being taken to task.
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In disputes about overtime wages, the devil is in the language
As an S-Pass holder, Tolack's salary was high enough to make one wonder whether he was eligible for overtime pay. What does the law say, and is it clear?
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Through deliveries, a window into long-existing injustice and inequality
Reflections on the pandemic: how helping workers with small essential needs reveals their vulnerabilities and the injustices they suffer.
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Research report: policy recomendations to end injustice in recruitment fees
There are many possible measures for reducing recruitment fees, say this research report. Contains deep analyses of rationale and feasibility.
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14-day Covid-19 insurance required for newly-arriving migrant workers
From 1 January 2021, employers must purchase insurance (at least $10,000) against the risk of the worker developing Covid-19 within 14 days of arrival.
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“You want hard job? I have one for you.”
Quite a number of migrant construction workers describe themselves as 'supply workers'. Akash explains what that means and what a hard life it is.
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Flooding, sinking and a frustrating silence from the employer
Ali has to choose between keeping his job and going home to save his house. Shouldn't it be his choice to make? Shouldn't an employer respect his decision?
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Due to forced labour, Sime Darby palm oil products banned from USA
Palm oil products from Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby have been banned from the USA on account of forced labour in the company's processes.
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Worker sues employer and dorm operator for false imprisonment
Hasibur is suing his employer and dormitory operator for false imprisonment, following an incident in April 2020 wherein he and his roommates were locked in a room.
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Post-lockdown, payday at last
We did a quick poll in October 2020 to see whether dorm-based workers were back at work and whether they were getting paid. And could they get to ATMs?
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Policy incoherence: vaccination and repatriation
Covid-immune and vaccinated workers should be retained, not sent home. An explainer why MOM policies are counter-productve.
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Trapped in time, space and a financial hole
Alam got a "plumbing" job. What exactly did the job involve? But does it matter when he had nothing to do for the past 17 months?
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Sardines, red bulls and yellow containers
Kind donors are deeply appreciated. But what are the men's needs and priorities? We try to find out.
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Covid-19 vaccine will be free for migrant workers, says foreign minister
The Covid-19 vaccine will be free for all migrant workers here in Singapore, says foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
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What does ‘Average Monthly Earnings’ mean when workers had five months of no-work lockdown?
Computation of medical leave wages and injury compensation is linked to Average Monthly Earnings. Does this Average include no-work months during Covid-19?
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Rezaule’s salary terms a work of art
While Rezaule's salary claim ended in an interesting way, the salary terms originally offered to him was even more interesting. It was truly creative.
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47% of dormitory residents had Covid-19
Nearly half of dorm-based migrant workers had Covid-19, going by newly released figures. It's nearly herd immunity, yet they're still going to remain locked up.
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Pay and pay, yet outstanding loan hardly budges
Here's a close look at a bank loan a worker took out and the burden of repayments. Someone other than the worker is the main beneficiary of his labours.
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Half naked man running in the night
Workers in a nearby dorm were surprised to see him running in for help. No shirt, no sandals... just plain fear.
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General manager fined for wrongful confinement of three foreign workers
For wrongfully confining 3 migrant workers, a general manager was fined $9,000. The penalty under the law could have included imprisonment.
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Five workplace fatalities in two weeks — just the tip of the iceberg
As Singapore's economy revved up after the lockdown, more workers died. Five were killed in the last two weeks alone.
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Two men seriously ill with long-term Covid19
The long-term effects of Covd-19 can be nasty. Two healthy foreign workers who didn't even know they had Covid-19 are reduced to invalids overnight.
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Did Ali just fall through a gap in our justice system?
Ali Mohammed lost his salary case at the Employment Claims Tribunal. His case was never going to be easy, but we still wonder if the court could have been more thorough.
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Invisible occupations: grave exhumer
Migrant workers do all kinds of jobs that SIngaporeans wouldn't want to do, such as working in a cemetery as a grave digger. Meet Bulbul, who loved it.
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Shahadat borrows from an “NGO” to fund his recruitment fee, but at what cost?
To pay the agent fee for his job, Shahadat had to take a loan. We calculate the interest rate involved. We can barely believe our math.
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Covid-19 in the dorms: summary for October 2020
Here's the third (possibly last) of our monthly summaries about Covid-19 related numbers and milestones, gleaned from media and government statements.
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Monzur the ‘liar’
Doctors have diagnosed from MRI, X-ray, a problem with Monzur's spine after a back injury. His boss insists that Monzur is lying, claims he has videos to prove it.
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Sajalal and his shape-changing salary
What was Sajalal's salary? He couldn't be sure. We ask him to give us a history and it shines a light on some widespread employer practices.
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TWC2 submits UPR shadow report for Singapore
For the upcoming Universal Periodic Review in 2021, our shadow report highlights several human rights shortcomings in Singapore affecting migrant workers here.
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Ferdous has had enough, wants to go home
Ferdous feels overwhelmed by problems: injury, unpaid salary, unrecovered recruitment fees, borrowing money to pay for treatment, delays due to Covid-19....
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Only nine company directors convicted in 2019 for not paying salaries
Despite the Employment Claims Tribunal finding hundreds of employers liable for salary non-ayment, only a handful of compay directors are convicted.
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Invisible occupations: hotel housekeeping
Singapore's hotel industry is highly reliant on foreign workers too, though they're less visible than construction workers. Barathi gives us a little insight before he goes home.
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Moving mountains to remove 3cm of metal wire
Rana needed a small medical procedure to remove a wire implant that has outlived its usefulness. Bureaucracy and faulty government policy stood in the way.
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“I don’t understand, I don’t know press one or two”
In Singapore, we rush to digitise many things, but forget that in the process, groups of already-disadvantaged people get left further behind.
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Sheikh Hasan’s first 24 hours with TWC2
Hasan paid over $15,000 for his first job in Singapore, which didn't materialise. After 4 months in limbo, he approached us. A case study of the social work we do.
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Qatar sets minimum wage; Singapore still intoxicated on cheap labour
Qatar's minimum wage, Wage Protection System, dispute resolution and its Workers' Support and Insurance Fund. Not perfect, but far ahead of Singapore.
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Qatar abolishes its kafala system, when will Singapore do so?
In a historic move, Qatar abolished its kafala system in August 2020. Workers can now change jobs without having to get permission from current employers.
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From the murkiness, a señora emerges
How did Shahabuddin end up with a lawyer over his injury case when parties are not in dispute? A simple question leads to a bigger exploration.
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World’s largest glove maker to repay migrant workers for their recruitment fees
Banned from selling to the US, Top Glove has to compensate its migrant workers, losing half of 2019 after-tax profit as a result.
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$9,000 to help cousin get a job that pays $399 per month
Right before our noses, illegal job agents operate with impunity in Singapore itself, raking in loads of money. Employers offering jobs through these recruiters don't smell too clean either.
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Covid-19 in the dorms: summary for September 2020
Here's the second of our monthly summaries about Covid-19 related numbers and milestones, gleaned from media and government statements.
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Kader’s girlfriend, wife and baby
Throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, Kader was almost continuously on the phone. Here's a glimpse of a migrant worker's use of technology.
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Raju told to go home, “then my case how?”
In the interest of justice, migrant workers should not be repatriated until their claims are fully heard and settled. Singapore promised this at the UN.
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Monzurul accumulates wealth — of English words
Over three jobs in Singapore, Monzurul got richer in his English vocabulary, not so much in the bank.
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Palm oil products from Malaysian company banned from US because of labour abuses
The world's largest producer of palm oil has its products banned from the US because of credible evidence of labour abuses.
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All faith, no facts: Faiz and his injury lawyer
Faiz was injured in an accident, then engaged a lawyer. We ask him who introduced him to a lawyer and why he needed to engage one.
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Six percent reduction of Work Permit holders in first half 2020
There's an across-the-board fall in the number of low-wage migrant workers in Singapore through the first six months of 2020. Even domestic workers.
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TADM — friend, stranger or foe?
When an employee files a claim, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management plays two roles. Is there a conflict of interest between the two roles?
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Open the dorms – no reason to continue imprisoning workers
We have kept hundreds of thousands of workers in captivity for nearly six months. This is inhuman. Numbers of Covid-19 cases don't justify this anymore.
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Paying off a bank loan should be easy, until it is not
To fund the required recruitment fee for his job, Habibur took a loan from Brac Bank. Even from the beginning, the repayment demands looked tight. Then the unexpected happened.
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Research finding: Only a handful of workers have had rest days out from dorms
We hoped to find out how workers navigated the procedure for going out on rest days. Instead we found that most weren't going anywhere.
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Fickle fortunes
Nahid's first job turned out relatively well, but he hadn't gone home to see his family in five years. So he resigned and, soon after, had to look for another job.
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What happened with salary claims during the lockdown?
With mediation meetings too difficult to organise, most cases were suspended. With the gradual lifting, there's some movement, but little prospect of happy outcomes.
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Where was your illegal recruiter? “In Singapore,” say Kamrul and Majumder
Kamrul and Majumder share something important: both their illegal recruiters were based here in Singapore. In Majumder's case, an additional payment was demanded by someone in the company.
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Covid-19 in the dorms: summary for August 2020
Here's the first of our monthly summaries about Covid-19 related numbers and milestones, gleaned from media and government statements.
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Socialised differently, migrant workers like Khairul helpless in Singapore
Relationships and trust figure strongly in how a Bangladeshi worker like Khairul operates in the world. In bureaucratic Singapore, they don't work so well.
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Higher minimum salaries for S-Pass; need to advertise locally for 28 days
The minimum salary for S-Pass will be raised to $2,500 per month. That for Employment Pass to $4,500/month.
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Six little examples: Why can’t he get out of the dorm?
Injured workers who need to attend hospital follow-ups get caught in overly-strict rules about leaving their dorms for appointments. They might miss their doctor dates.
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Covid-19: re-quarantining of dorms shows limits of Singapore’s strategy
Covid-19 will continue to appear repeatedly. If each time we see a cluster, we shut down thousands of workers, the economic cost will be very great.
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Company denied an accident occurred; has yet to pay Nodia’s medical bills
Our volunteer speaks to Nodia at a point in his life where he has no control over his fate, only hope. This sense of powerlessness is a very common experience among migrant workers.
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Four little stories: Help me get out of Singapore!
After long months of confinement, workers want to go home. But it is proving nearly as difficult as breaking out of jail. Reasons for policy remain unclear.
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Does one minister even know what another minister is doing?
Head of Covid-19 Task Force Lawrence Wong says salaries should be paid. MOM says no need to pay.
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Al Jazeera: Italy’s Sikh slaves
A 25-minute film about migrant workers on Italian farms: their wages, immigration status, payments to "gang-masters", despair and suicide.
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Two jobs in succession, both end with salary non-payment… and there’s more
Akash had a salary problem in one job. He then found a new job. Eight months later, non-payment again. We learn of worse as the interview progresses.
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Post-Covid, hopes and disputes emerge from deep freeze
How four workers have been affected by the suspension of many actvities during the Covid-19 lockdown from early April to early June 2020.
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Longing for life outside — domestic workers during the lockdown
"Tell us about your experiences in Singapore," we asked a group of Indonesian domestic workers. "And about how you cannot go home during Covid-19."
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“Yes, I know. This Sunday is Singapore National Day”
We ask five migrant workers to respond on video to the theme of Singapore's National Day.
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I delivered essential items and this is what I learned
For months, men have been confined to dorms, unable to go out to buy daily necessities they might need. TWC2's SEN team delivered little things that made life more bearable.
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Loan amount goes up, up and away
Shafiqul borrowed 200,000 taka from a bank to finance his recruitment cost. He now owes 250,000.
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Confinement in dorms: If regulations overreach, change the regulations
MOM now says it is not their intent to give employers unfettered power over workers' movements. But why say this over social media? Why not simply correct badly drafted law?
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Chokder’s three jobs: win, draw, lose
We ask Chokder to tally how much he paid job agents through the three jobs he's had. If not for these hefty fees, he would have savings to support his family after his injury.
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Five questions from reporters
Recently, journalists doing follow-up stories about Covid-19 have been reaching us with similar questions. For convenience, we will put our responses here.
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Government extends waiver of foreign worker levy, to taper off in 4th quarter 2020
Wkith Covid-19 restrictions continuing, foreign worker levy waivers are further extended, as are rebates. But only for certain sectors and types of employees.
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Migrant bodies sacrificed on the altar of self-praise
The general community is "saved" from Covid-19 only because migrant workers are made to pay the price for us: severe confinement, never mind mental wellbeing and medical complications.
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Kibria and Selim held hostage by Singapore’s underground economy
Selim and Kibria, not paid for their previous jobs, are looking for new ones. They talk about inescapable demands for money from agents, supervisors and bosses.
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Unconnected aspirations: Training, productivity and career advancement
Our intern explores the thorny question of upskilling. Do employers see benefit in that? Are benefits shared equitably between employers and employees?
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Boss wanted to deduct $500 for one day’s absence
Sharif wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest in his room rather than go to work. As many employers of migrant workers do, a fine was to be imposed for absence.
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Dear teachers,
Why we don't reply to some student requests and a cheatsheet for students trying to write about migrant workers
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Recruitment reform — what needs to be done
A short explainer about how corrupted the recruitment system has become for migrant workers and the two key measures needed to reform the eco-system.
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Four and a half years to get compensation for Md Sharif’s family
Employer and insurer objected to the compensation award. The case went to a 'labour court' hearing, and then to the High Court, the issues becoming technical along the way.
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A precarious life: 4 years, 5 jobs
Sharif has had five jobs in Singapore over four years. Has work migration been a path to a better life for this young father and his family?
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Post-Covid layoffs begin — from the hospitality sector
TWC2 is seeing more laid-off workers joining our food programme, and they're coming from an industry sector flattened by Covid-19.
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“Have you got the $2,000 ready for me?”
$2,000 is cheap as far as recruiters' fees go, but just as easily lost. Razzak's story is unfortunately as common as dirty money in the migrant labour market.
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Covid-19 update: India and Bangladesh
Covid-19 stats from India and Bangladesh don't look good. Expect ti to remain difficult to bring workers from there. That means those who are already here should be allowed to stay.
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Water, water every where, but three cups a day to drink
If being locked up in dormitories through Covid-19 was bad, being held on a ship was worse. On reaching out to workers there, we heard cries for deliverance.
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Sudeb climbs the ladder of life
Sudeb recounts the many jobs he's had -- most ending in disappointment. He's been laid off, deceived, cheated of wages and now, injured. But he has fortitude.
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A nice lady in a coffee shop
Carpenter Babul had had good experiences with Singaporean bosses, unlike employers from India or Bangladesh, whom he felt didn't care for their employees. A nice lady boss came along and offered him a job...
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Injured Khalilur’s employer insisted that no accident occurred, denying him compensation
Rahman Khalilur fell at work and hurt his back. But the employer denied that any accident took place at all and at a hearing at the Ministry of Manpower, they won.
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Freshly baked and yummy!
A big Thank You to Gwendolin Tan for her freshly baked cakes.
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No migrant worker expects an iron rice bowl, but much more can be done for their financial security
It's too simplistic to speak in terms of iron-clad job security, but a lot more can be done to help migrant workers with career longevity and financial security. Start with recruitment costs.
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Post-Covid law makes migrant workers prisoners of employers
The new law says "The employer must not allow, or cause to be allowed, the foreign employee ... to leave the dormitory ... and may grant or refuse consent..."
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Why we say ‘foreign domestic worker’ and not ‘helper’
The term "helper" seems to be growing in popularity, but TWC2 disagrees with its use.
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Post-Covid roadblocks to salary justice
With what looks like a policy change, worker's access to the Employment Claims Tribunal now appears to be seriously impeded by costs and uncertainty of process.
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Tribunal makes two errors in Liakat’s salary claim
We felt that the Employment Claims Tribunal erred in two major areas in its ruling over Ali Liakat's salary claim. Leave to appeal was sought, but denied.
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More than dormitory space: A chance for reform
Improvement in housing should be only one element in a broader reforms, if we are to arrive at a more ethical relationship with migrant labour. Job restrictions, low salaries, etc, must also be addressed.
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Covid-19: Tales from the ground, part 4
Workers' experiences during the lock-down: a sister helping another who lost her job, a worker who came to Singapore and found a missing employer, a worker stuck here worried about his collapsing house...
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Letter in the press: Moving migrant workers offshore would be a step backwards
An engineer floated the concept of building mega-dormitories over the sea, each with a "small-town centre", to minimise migrant workers' entry into our downtown and Singaporean spaces. What do we say to that?
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Under lockdown, domestic workers at risk of abuse
Domestic workers have been "advised" to stay in employers' residences during their rest days since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. No end in sight. What about those who have to live with abusive
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$1 million spent helping over 90,000 migrant workers remain connected with their families
With support from Facebook and Community Foundation of Singapore, TWC2 tops up migrant workers' phones in time for Eid al-fitr. In total, the campaign spent nearly $1 million to help about workers stuck in quarantine
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Swindle, cheat and manipulate, example no. 4
A hopeful guy from India contacted TWC2 by WhatsApp to ask if the job offer he had in hand was real. It didn't take us long to tell him the bad news.
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Covid-19: Tales from the ground, part 3
Workers' experiences during the lock-down: about anxiety, life in a temporary hospital, vanishing salaries, financial disaster. Also about the things going on at TWC2: donations pouring in and volunteers running around.
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Better dormitories, part 2
Actions and demands by the government strongly impact the economics of dormitories. Improving minimum standards from 4.5 to 7.5 sq metres per head does not have to mean substantial cost increases.
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Better dormitories, part 1
The current minimum of 4.5 sq metres per person is too low a standard. It should be 7.5 sq metres. There shouldn't be barracks-style dorms anymore, but apartment-type accommodation with a max of 8 persons
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Nearly 300 men at risk of eviction and homelessness get rent money from TWC2
We laid out $85,000 to help some migrant workers keep a roof over their heads. These workers, having lost their jobs, are in more difficult situations than those in dorms. Includes video story from TRT
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Covid-19: Tales from the ground, part 2
Workers tell us of their experiences during the lock-down. Here is a miscellaneous collection of their direct experiences -- about insufficient toilets, insufficient food and all sorts of inconveniences due to the lockdown.
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How many employers are there?
Here's a figure: There are 66,000 employers of S-Pass and Work Permit holders as at April 2020. And workers with bank accounts now number 521,000, which seems to be 77.5%. Numbers exclude FDWs.
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The dorms are not the problem
An essay based on a talk given by Alex Au at a Labour Day webinar organised by Maruah in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic that badly affected migrant workers in Singapore.
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2020 May Day statement: Solidarity in adversity, solidarity for progress
TWC2's statement to mark International Labour Day -- 1 May 2020
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Lockdowns and merry-go-rounds
Medical needs for non-Covid situations risk being neglected. Two stories from two workers stuck in dorms. The hospitals are fine, but seeing a doctor in the dorm or filling a prescription... facepalm!
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A self-cultivated Achilles heel
As Covid-19 infections among migrant workers hit new highs, John Gee takes stock of the bigger picture: What is it about Singapore's migrant labour policy that makes this crisis a self-inflicted one, and where do
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Covid-19 cases explode in Qatar
Covid-19 cases rise dramatically in Qatar in April 2020. Majority said to be from among "expatriates" -- a term that includes low-wage migrant workers packed densely in worker accommodation.
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Covid-19: Tales from the ground, part 1
Workers tell us of their experiences during the lock-down. Here is a miscellaneous collection of their direct experiences -- about getting fever, the long wait for test results and not getting wifi.
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Joyless Joylicious, part 3
Twenty roommates of a migrant worker were locked inside a room after the worker fell ill with Covid-19. The room was locked from the outside. The employer was unhappy we went public with the problem
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Joyless Joylicious, part 2
Twenty roommates of a migrant worker were locked inside a room after the worker fell ill with Covid-19. The room was locked from the outside. TodayOnline confirms the story in a report the next day
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Joyless Joylicious, part 1
Twenty roommates of a migrant worker were locked inside a room after the worker fell ill with Covid-19. The room was locked from the outside. The story (parts 1 to 3) recounts our efforts to
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Dorm residents now make up 94% of new Covid-19 cases
News flash: Between 16 and 22 April, nearly 94% of new Covid-19 infections were reported from worker dormitories. S11 in Punggol is by far the largest cluster.
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Raju’s Covid-19 holiday
A worker under TWC2's care was diagnosed with Covid-19. What does treatment and recovery for a foreign worker feel like? What unresolved issues remain? We interview him by phone.
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TWC2 phone top-up campaign spent over $280,000 (so far) to help 28,000 workers
We're been feverishly doing phone top-ups these two weeks, boosted by generous donors, and helping thousands of workers stuck in quarantine.
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Covid-19: Media Statement, 20 April 2020
Some employers impose penalties for workers falling sick In these Covid-19 times, this is a dangerous practice. Such company polices must be stamped out for good.
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Covid-19 transmission rates in dorms are bad (mid-April 2020)
The increase in cases in quarantined and non-quarantined dorms are compared in this article, It is clearly worse in non-quarantined dorms. Why is that so?
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Thinning out the dorms: we have the acreage, do we have the will?
Moving foreign workers out of crowded dorms is imperative, but slow action is probably traceable to mental blocks among policy-makers. Due to obstinacy, how bad can things get? Very bad.
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Need paracetamol? Call an ambulance, pay $150
A worker in a quarantined dorm needs a painkiller for his hip which had suffered a work injury. But where can he get the tablets? There are no doctors or pharmacists around.
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More than half of Singapore’s Covid-19 cases are migrant workers
TWC2 statement to mark the sad day when low-wage work permit holders became the majority of Covid-19 cases in Singapore despite their being generally healthier and younger adults compared to the overall population.
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Is Singapore falling behind in testing for Covid-19?
When a worker is infected with Covid-19, it is surprising that none of his room-mates are immediately tested, and this raises big questions about Singapore's testing capability and the overall strategy.
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Worker gets Covid-19, what now for his room-mates?
Volunteer Frank speaks to a worker confined inside a dorm room where, 4 days ago, a roommate came down with Covid-19 and was rushed away.
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Yarif caught between two bureaucracies
Yarif has been waiting more than a year for this injury compensation claim to conclude. He's told that his Special Pass won't be extended much longer.
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Covid-19: Media Statement, 13 April 2020
A statement by TWC2 calling on MOM to rescind its Advisory of 6 April 2020 which suggests to employers that they can reduce reduce foreign workers' salaries by 25%.
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Covid-19: Media Statement, 13 April 2020 (longer version)
More detail why TWC2 objects to MOM's Advisory of 6 April 2020 that appears to approve of employers cutting foreign workers' wages by 25%.
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Electronic payment of salary: ten years’ inaction catches up on Singapore
Three days after TWC2 issued a media statement touching on the incompatibility between cash payment of salaries and quarantine, MOM issued a directive requiring electronic payment. But what new chaos await us as this is
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Broken promises, broken thumb, broken finances
Through Adnan's story, a detailed look at a migrant worker's financial stress. It all started with having to pay a heft recruitment fee.
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In defence of … squalor
Why are worker dormitories said to be so dirty? Who is responsible? What connection with Covid-19?
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An infectious cluster — from 2008
Contagion in crowded dorms has happened before, and TWC2 was right there, video-ing it.
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Covid-19: Media Statement, 8 April 2020
A statement by TWC2 highlighting issues that need urgent attention at this point in the Covid-19 pandemic: quarantine; testing; concerns of Work Permit holders; special vulnerabilities of Special Pass holders; financial support for employers and
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“All person is scared” — Bangladeshi workers amid Covid-19
We interview several Bangladeshi workers to find out what they know about the Covid-19 situation and the dilemmas they face.
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Through a shady broker, certified welder ends up with $220/month job
Shipyard worker is duped into a job paying only $220 a month. Illegal recruiters flourish despite the law because enforcement is poor.
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Covid-19: the risks from packing them in
To keep costs down, we have created worker dormitories with very high density. It's a recipe for contagion. But if we have to lower the density quickly and move some men out, is there anything
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Uphold migrants’ rights in times of crisis
A joint statement by Migrant Forum in Asia and other networks from around the world on the impact of Covid-19 on migrants.
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Swindle, cheat and manipulate: so what can be done?
Since job scams arise from misrepresentation of the nature and terms of the job, a solution must lie in eliminating opportunities for deception. Workers must have direct access to employers' submissions and MOM's electronic records.
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Johirul’s salary case at the nine-month point
After months of stagnation, Johirul's case is finally moving again, but after nine long months, he's looking at getting less than a quarter of his owed salary.
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Straits Times Forum: Employers’ practices leave foreign workers vulnerable to infection
TWC2 points out the risks to migrant workers in the time of Covid-19 that spring from housing conditions, transport and company policies.
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Arrivals of work pass holders to need prior permission, serve 14 days stay-at-home
Foreign workers entering Singapore must first get prior permission before commencing their journeys, then must serve 14-day stay-home period.
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Mahfuzur’s sleepless fortnight as he prepared to press his salary claim
Day by day, how we helped a worker overcome fear of retribution and get his owed salary.
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If even educated people from source countries know so little about Singapore, how can they be training workers for us?
At a conference session on upskilling, TWC2 saw the enormity of the challenge for Singapore as we try to raise productivity among migrant workers and fill our future care-giving needs.
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Higher water use: don’t blame maids
The Straits Times reported on a survey that found that households with maids use 20% more water than those without. On the face of it, it seems to put blame on domestic workers' behaviour when
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Show and tell in Berlin
Lei Yuan Bin's film shown at the Berlinale raises international awareness of the migrant worker situation in Singapore. We were there to take questions at five post-show Q&As
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“Every year, salary increase $100, $200,” says Monzurul
Although injured in an accident, Monzurul recalls happy times with his boss. We enquire why.
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Two attempts at Writ of Seizure and Sale, part 2
We got ready to serve a Writ of Seizure & Sale on an employer who was ignoring court orders to pay a worker her salary, but things happened so fast, we didn't know if we
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How employers can kickstart an epidemic
Robeul is penalised because a doctor gave him two days' medical leave. Making ill workers return to work is socially irresponsible, accelerating the spread of infectious diseases.
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Two attempts at Writ of Seizure and Sale, part 1
A rare success story here, where we helped a Chinese migrant worker to recover the bulk of her owed salary from a restaurant chain.
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Letter in Straits Times: Maid agencies abusing their powers
TWC2 echoes a call for the government to do more to rein in employment agents who charge unreasonable and illegal fees for transfer workers.
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Two injured workers — one unhappy, the other asked to fetch vegetables
Who is responsible for ensuring that workers with claims receive food? Not given, says one worker. The "vegetables" were 10-15 km away, says another.
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Our Covid-19 measures: distance and cleanliness
TWC2 takes the Covid-19 risk seriously, implementing several measures for the safety of our staff, volunteers, clients and visitors.
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“This case I win because TWC2 help me,” says a beaming Ali
Sheikh Keramot Ali is chuffed to have a Tribunal Order giving him his owed wages and grateful to TWC2 for teaching him a bit of law to successfully argue his claim.
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What does “monthly deduction for others” actually mean?
It is increasingly common to see employers make quite substantial "monthly deductions for others" from foreign workers' wages, but what's the deduction for?
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Two workers asked to choose between seeing a doctor and keeping their jobs
They shouldn't have to choose; the law cannot be any clearer. Yet these cases aren't rare.
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Four teeth and a town council cleaner’s hours
Hebal worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Was this legal? Then he lost four teeth.
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Swindle, cheat and manipulate, example no. 3
Hebal came from Bangladesh with a document saying his basic salary would be $600 per month, but despite working lots of overtime, his total monthly salary was only $650. How could that be?
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High Court: Don’t treat work injury lawsuits as ‘game of chance’
High Court reminds lawyers to assess injury cases carefully before filling claims under common law. This is all the more critical when workers are in desperate financial straits and see only the upside of going
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Within one year, Moggi had to pay three times to get and keep his job
MOM ruled that Shamim's injury was not work-related. A co-worker's testimony might have played a part. Then the co-worker phoned Shamim and an interesting conversation ensured.
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Employer set aside $80 each month from worker’s pay for ‘tax’
Mano approaches TWC2 asking how he can get back the deductions from his salary labelled as "tax". Work Permit holders earn so little almost none of them has income above the taxable threshold.
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Did a co-worker just seek absolution?
MOM ruled that Shamim's injury was not work-related. A co-worker's testimony might have played a part. Then the co-worker phoned Shamim and an interesting conversation ensured.
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Three years later, MOM adopts TWC2’s ideas on adverse inference
MOM adopts an idea put forward by TWC2 three years ago to ensure a more level playing field for workers with salary claims and uncooperative employers
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Movie: Life in Singapore through a migrant worker’s eyes
Next screening: 5 January 2020 at 2pm. Part of proceeds to benefit TWC2
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Are non-paying employers able to hire more new workers?
We mined our data and found 30 companies that hired new workers after having failed to pay salaries for previous workers. The new workers later came to TWC2 with salary problems
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Contractor to major hotels defaults on salaries to cleaning crew
An inside look at work conditions, recruitment cost and deteriorating labour relations in a corner of the hospitality industry.
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Great food and prizes as TWC2 marks International Migrants Day
Food, prizes, dancing and chopping off hands at TWC2's International Migrants Day commemoration
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Impact of digital technology on social protection and human rights
TWC2 submitted a report to the UN on the ways in which digital technology has affected the rights and social protection of migrant workers
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Work injury? Company’s denial quashed
Rafiqul was denied work injury compensation by MOM. TWC2 had to find him a pro-bono lawyer to argue his case at the Labour Court. We won, reversing MOM's unfair decision.
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Ministry reveals its unsound interpretation of the noodles case
MOM takes issue with our Noodles and Bean Curd article. But MOM's rebuttal is merely a demand that we accept their interpretation as Truth.
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Harun and Hossen laugh in the face of misfortune
Two workers in quick succession come by and share with us the absurdities of migrant worker lives. But beneath the hilarity lurks the beast that devours all: recruitment cost.
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Cat, roaches and a whistleblower
A Chinese worker showed us videos of the bakery where he was employed. We were mortified. He was determined to bring the matter to light. Thank goodness for his courage.
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Filing a salary claim, Murugesan didn’t know it triggered an investigation
Murugesan went to MOM to complain about unpaid salary. For months thereafter, he thought that the officer there would be helping to recover his owed wages. In fact, MOM was investigating something, but whatever it
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Billal with beads of sweat
Billal is thrown into confusion when he hears that his "boss not accept" his injury. He was clearly injured and was taken by an ambulance to a hospital. How can this be not accepted?
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Swindle, cheat and manipulate, example no. 2
Mohatab showed TWC2 two IPA documents he had in hand. Both named him as the worker and had the same dates. But the employers were different as were the salary details. Another scam!
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Swindle, cheat and manipulate, example no. 1
A hotel advertised itself in India to jobseekers. Someone sent us the name of the hotel. We tried to book a room.
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Recruitment cost up to 22 months’ salary for shipyard workers
When a worker has paid a huge amount to get a job, he cannot afford to lose that job and will thus be vulnerable to unreasonable, exploitative demands by the employer. How huge is huge?
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Noodles, bean curd and the slippery space between countries
Is there a way for governments to regulate trans-national fee-charging? Is it too convenient to plead jurisdictional limitations, and do nothing?
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Two overstayers served their sentences, but how are they to survive?
After release from prison, how are overstayers going to survive? Of course they'll look for underground work again.
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Work 6 months, wait 18 months
Mazumder's saga began 24 months ago. In it, two employers appear to have gotten off scot-free for not paying his salary.
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Push, pull and the runs of choice
Beneath the veneer of workers saying they come to Singapore to get better pay and a chance of a better life, are there other factors that influence the decision to migrate for work? How much
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Just as baby arrives, an eye is lost
Rafiqul's doctor says surgery is needed or the eye would be lost. Employer says no and refuses to pay. Rafiqul feels he needs a lawyer. But says lawyer is doing nothing to resolve the problem.
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Akanda eaten by the cancer of circular migration
Just because he felt ill on day at work Akanda was summarily fired. Is he optimistic about finding another job?
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New work injury law leaves old gap unaddressed
Long delays by MOM in deciding whether an injury was work-related was a feature of the way the old WICA worked. Will the new WICA be any better? Or worse?
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Broken ankle chained to ‘lawyer’
Anwar is eight months into his injury compensation claim. He is desperate for his medical leave wages to help his family. He is bounced between his 'lawyer' and MOM. Who should rightly be taking action?
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Cheated of $6,000, Nurunobi is angry
During the job interview, the boss described his company as a large main contractor. Then why did Nurunobi get work on only 9 days out of the first 24?
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Overstayers’ median period of evading arrest only two months
Work pass and Special pass holders made up about 40% of overstayers arrested in 2018, with tourists forming an even larger number. But they hadn't managed to evade the authorities for long.
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What plagues migrant workers?
Dating from 2014, this featured article is a review of the inequalities inherent in the employer-employee relationship with respect to migrant workers in Singapore. Citing cases Meera Rajah came across while volunteering with TWC2, she
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Salary mediation unsuccessful, but Hanif and Nasir may not get their day in court
The kindest route to take in helping men with virtually no hope of recovering unpaid salaries may be to just give them some money and move on. But the argument can be made that this
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How to extract $5,800 from a worker within 36 hours
Salim arrived in Singapore with an IPA letter saying the job would pay him $950 per month. Within 36 hours, his boss told him the salary would be around $520 a month. Take it or
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Three Indonesian Domestic Workers Detained without Trial, Fourth Deported.
Three Indonesian domestic workers reported to have links with ISIS; they have been detained under the ISA to be investigated.
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MOM too quick to accuse us of false statements; their accusations groundless
MOM accuses TWC2 of making three "false allegations". We show here how baseless their accusations are. MOM shouldn't be so prickly and defensive.
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Remittance highways and byways
Many low-wage workers from Bangladesh continue to use an informal remittance system to send money back home despite it being an unregulated system. Why do they choose that?
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Judge finds co-worker’s evidence untruthful
The High Court found that a foreign worker's testimony in support of his employer's version of events in an accident was "unreliable". Indeed, TWC2 have heard of many cases where workmates bear false witness. Why
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If maids are given KPIs, then state their rights too
TWC2 responds to a letter in the Straits Times calling for KPIs for domestic workers.
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Cool beans, hot coffee
Eight men under TWC2's care are introduced to a new career possibility: baristas, courtesy of The Coffee Roasters Cafe.
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Contusion, say doctors, but MOM says injury not work-related
A wildly swinging pole hit a worker, leaving him with contusion on his right chest. Pain lasted for many days. But MOM said the injury was not work-related. Right decision or wrong?
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ILO launches Global Media Competition 2019
The ILO is running a Global Media Competition for work related to labour migration. Open to professional and student journalists. Closing date 31 October 2019.
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Stop Work Orders needed for outdoor workers in haze conditions
TWC2 calls on the government to issue state-wide Stop Work Orders if haze conditions reach unhealthy levels to protect health of workers engaged in physical work outdoors.
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Salary Slip Survey 2018
Although the law says itemised pay slips should be given to employees, 22.5% of foreign workers polled by TWC2 did not get them. Some pay slips were also deficient in detail, falling short of law.
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Survey of doctors reveals barriers to healthcare for migrant workers
427 doctors responded to this survey describing what they've seen of how foreign workers' medical treatment have been compromised.
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Education a ticket out of poverty? Not quite
TWC2 volunteer Nicholas meets a construction worker with a university degree. It sets him thinking.
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Boss agrees to pay salary, then continues not to pay
The employer signed Settlement Agreements with 2 employees to pay their salary arrears, and the two men think all will be well. Problem solved.
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Evacuate! Fire in our building
A smallish fire broke out at Golden Mile Complex, where TWC2's main office is located, on 5 September 2019. We didn't suffer any damage.
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Straits Times Forum: Bosses of foreign workers ignore court orders to pay up
Following a letter from AWARE about poor enforcement of court orders, TWC2 wrote to the Straits Times Forum highlighting the same issue.
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High Court says MOM’s Assistant Commissioner had a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the work injury law
Abu Samad died of a heart attack while at work. He had a history of ischaemic heart disease. MOM's Assistant Commissioner for Labour ruled that his next-of-kin were not entitled to work injury compensation. The
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New Work Injury Compensation Act passed
A new Work Injury Compensation Act was passed in Parliament on 3 September 2019. TWC2 comments on some key statements reported in the media. To make the new law work, administrative and process weaknesses must
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Happily wed, unhappily stranded
Roy Mithu suffered four months of salary non-payment. He reckons the employer owes him $11,000. But as he tells our volunteer writer, the expected recovery amount gets whittled down for one reason or another. Will
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The circumstances of being a foreign worker must be considered, says judge
Duraiarasan injured his right eye on 15 January 2016. at work. He did not see a doctor until January 19th. The employer seemed to have argued that no accident happened on the 15th and MOM
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$8,000 for the underground agent
Foreign workers are increasingly becoming illegal job agents, preying on fellow countrymen like Alamin wanting to come to Singapore. This underground activity puts Singapore's law and order reputation at risk.
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Foreign workers’ lives of waiting
Two Bangladeshi workers tell us about waiting. Waiting to get overtime wages, waiting to get claims settled through MOM. But waiting is not painless.
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How do workers raise money to pay agents?
TWC2 volunteer Stefan dives deep into issues of loans, pawning, interest rates and repayment installments. Compared to the meagre salaries foreign workers in low-skill jobs earn, the numbers are disturbing.
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Maid to Last? Foreign domestic workers’ access to weekly rest days
In this newly-released study, TWC2 found that domestic workers had to "prove" themselves and learn to negotiate for their days off. Generally, it takes over four years before they can get two rest days per
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The outlaw ocean – human trafficking and other crimes, part 2
The video in this post has investigative journalist Ian Urbina trying to track down alleged murderers and human traffickers in the Thai fishing industry.
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The outlaw ocean – human trafficking and other crimes, part 1
Here's a heads-up to a forthcoming book The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina, following his years-long investigation of labour abuses and human trafficking in the fishing industry.
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More of here, less of there: Increase in repeat workers and fat profits for the underground job broker in Singapore
In this research study, TWC2 found that about 80% of South Asian workers were "repeat workers", a huge change from a few years ago. We also found that about half of them used a Singapore-based
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Employer unafraid of workers taking salary claims to the authorities
By L. Narasimhan based on an interview in March 2019 “I wander around the city, going from place to place trying to find a new job,” says Sukhwinder Singh, when I ask him what he has
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Rubel started work with Feiteng1x without knowing his salary — how did that happen?
By Liang lei based on an interview in February 2019 When a foreign worker arrives in Singapore, he would have a letter titled In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (IPA) from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower
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Employers’ responsibility for workers on special passes
Transient Workers Count Too notes that the new Regulations (with effect from April 2017) subsidiary to the revised Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (2012), contain two clauses that make employers’ responsibility more explicit. These are
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Call: Clarify law on filming domestic workers
Joint statement by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) and Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) issued 11 November 2015. Recently, the media has discussed the
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Seven months, thirteen extensions, no progress
By Avijit B, based on an interview in March 2019 Gafur has had a turbulent time since the day he arrived in Singapore. In the space of seven months, he went from the hope of
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27% fewer foreign worker claims at ECT in 2018 compared to 2017, why?
On 6 March 2019, Nominated Member of Parliament Anthea Ong asked the Minister of Manpower to supply figures for 2017 and 2018 respectively regarding … (a) how many salary claims were filed by (i) local
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Rights don’t mean squat without accessible avenues of redress
The photo is of an illuminated billboard along Bukit Batok West Avenue 3. It seeks to inform workers of their employment rights, and is sponsored by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) the Central Provident Fund
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Despite accident and filing an injury claim, Ayub stays in his job
By Darrell Foo, based on an interview in November 2018 Jennah Ayub Hossain registered at our Cuff Road Project in September 2018, but even so, he didn’t often come to get his free meals. On
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MOM claims great effectiveness in a case when the facts point otherwise
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) responded to our 20 Feb 2019 article ‘Rahman and employer agree to settle salary claim… then nothing happens‘ with a statement on their website. That statement amplifies their ability to
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How two bosses reacted to their workers filing salary claims
The same evening that volunteer Liang Lei was doing interviews for his story Why do injured workers flee company housing and do they feel safe enough to return?, two other workers came to TWC2 with
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Why do injured workers flee company housing and do they feel safe enough to return?
By Liang Lei, based on interviews conducted in Feb 2019 Home – a personal space. A fleeting sliver of timeless refuge after a long day of work. A safe haven. Does this hold true for
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Rahman and employer agree to settle salary claim… then nothing happens
By Grace Chua, based on an interview in August 2018 It has been three months since Rahman Mostafizur filed a salary claim with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Having started work in March 2017, he
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Are foreign workers abusing WIC claims?
By Debbie Fordyce The first graph (below) suggests that a disproportionate number of Indian and Bangladeshi migrant workers lodge injury claims within the first six months of starting a job. Moreover, TWC2’s observation is that
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Debt, jail and “no future”: an overstayer’s story
By Darrell Foo, based on an interview in November 2018 At TWC2’s Cuff Road Project where free meals are distributed to destitute foreign workers, almost all the men’s “makan cards” (meal eligibility cards issued by
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Eight men surround Raju at a coffeeshop
We first featured Raju in the story To encash two cheques, Raju had to jump through hoops, which was about his last three days before going home. Prior to that, he was having difficulty getting
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Salary non-payment was first sign, then all workers lost their jobs
By Mohamed Kasshif, based on an interview in September 2018 “Boss say, don’t worry, still can work”; Zobayar explains the reply he got from his employer upon realising that his work permit had been revoked
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Here’s Shakil, who has worked in both Dubai and Singapore
In Singapore, we rarely see workers who have worked in the Middle East before coming here. Why that is so probably involves complex reasons outside the scope of this article. Shakil is the unusual one.
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From overcharging to plain flouting of the law — Ratan’s story
By Katia Barthelemy, based on an interview in August 2018 Each migrant worker’s story is unique. Yet, in all the stories we hear at TWC2, we can detect injustice, lack of respect, abuse, illegal treatment
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In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, introduction
Introduction Accompanying this introduction is a six-part series of articles that spotlights the In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (“IPA”), a key document in the import of foreign labour into Singapore. Behind the document is
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In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 6
Part 6: where we are now And that’s where we are at this moment. The In-Principle Approval for a Work permit (“IPA” — explained in footnote) has travelled a long way, beginning life as a
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In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 5
Part 5: the Section 6A requirement The long name for this rule is “Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations 2012, Fourth Schedule, Part IV, Section 6A”. The clause in the subsidiary legislation says: 6A.
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In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 4
Part 4: MOM begins at last to respond to changing circumstances In Part 2 of this series, we described how workers with salary claims often pointed to the stated salaries in their In-Princple Approvals for
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In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 3
Part 3: Getting around IPAs in salary disputes Part 2 of this series described the uneven way in which the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) officers and the ministry’s Labour Court [footnote 1] handled salary claims.
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In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 2
Part 2: Salary terms Very few of the migrant workers from India and Bangladesh working in non-domestic sectors have written employment contracts. Contracts are more common with workers from China, but typically these contracts are
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In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 1
Introduction This five-part series of articles throws a spotlight on the In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (“IPA”), a key document in the import of foreign labour into Singapore. Behind the document is a process
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When medical leave wages take leave of the law
By Ada Cheong, based on interviews conducted in September 2018 Singapore is reputed to be a business-friendly place. A phalanx of blue-green skyscrapers — our central business district — rises up just behind the Merlion. The
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Some days the skies are clear and problems float away
“Migrant workers volunteer to clean Pasir Ris beach on Saturday” said the headline in the Straits Times, 17 October 2018. Indeed, that’s what a large group of TWC2 clients did, led by Irene Ong and
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To encash two cheques, Raju had to jump through hoops
For a long, long time, TWC2 has been calling for electronic payment of salaries to be made mandatory. Giving employers the option to pay in cash allows all sorts of abuses to happen and seriously
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Does MOM pay work injury lawyers?
By Debbie Fordyce Does the Ministry of Manpower pay lawyers to handle work injury compensation claims? “Lawyers always exciting to take case.” At least some injured workers certainly think that MOM does. They say that
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Officials to clamp down on fake salary vouchers, but will it work?
The news site TodayOnline reported that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) “plans to clamp down on employers who abuse salary vouchers — such as by having employees indicate receipt of their wages before they are
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Costs of low-waged labour migration: Difficulties, implications and recommendations
Unlike other studies that tend to be more focussed on a particular issue, e.g. recruitment costs or access to healthcare, this study takes a more inclusive approach, to look at the various costs of migration,
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Recruitment cost in some cases about 20 times monthly salary
In this article “$” represents the Singapore Dollar unless we specifically say otherwise, e.g.”US$”. It’s been some time since we last wrote about recruitment costs. It’s not a topic we should lose sight of. No
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Sweaty, busy night at our roadshow
Seven volunteers from TWC2 manned our stall at a migrant worker roadshow on Sunday, 18 December 2018. The humidity was high and everyone was sweaty, more so when workers crowded around our stand, but it
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Letters in Straits Times forum re light duties
Following a story in the Straits Times (see earlier article) about a circular jointly issued by the Ministries of Health (MOH) and Manpower (MOM) reminding doctors about their ethical responsibility to issue appropriate medical leave,
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Ministries of Health and Manpower issue circular re medical leave. Again.
On 17 September 2018, the Ministries of Health and Manpower jointly issued a circular to doctors reminding them to abide by guidelines laid out by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) with reference to medical leave.
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Transfer jobs for salary claimants and a minister’s bureaucratese
For several months in late 2017 and early 2018, we puzzled over a statement by the then-Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say that in the first half of 2017, only about 600 of foreign workers
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Durzey finds hospital bills unpaid, his belongings thrown into trash bin
By Megan Tan Min Chih, based on an interview in August 2018 Durzey did his best to remain calm after the call. It was a harrowing few minutes, in which he could barely make out
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Kader snared by the barbs of bureaucratic absurdities
By Darren Tan, based on an interview in August 2018 By July 2018, Munshi Kader was reaching the end of his temporary job with a chemical factory in the Pioneer district of Singapore. He had
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Short of information, Forhad worries while Mondal thinks everything’s going fine
By Ng Zu Xiang, based on interviews in July 2018 Workplace injuries are not an uncommon occurrence in construction, especially with the number of projects burgeoning across Singapore. As such, the Work Injury Compensation Act
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Policy brief 2018, no. 4: Free up labour mobility, do more to retain skills and experience
In the fourth of our policy briefs for 2018, Transient Workers Count Too recommends that foreign workers should be free to change employer without needing to get the permission of the existing employer. There should
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Robin’s story shows how corruption takes root in Singapore
By Joell Tee, based on an interview in July 2018 The fan whirs quietly overhead and the workers file in in an orderly manner to collect their tokens for dinner. Scattered laughter and chatter make
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Arrivals and change in vocation of Bangladeshi workers
After 2015, new arrivals of first-time Bangladeshi workers appear to have fallen off quite dramatically — this was the main finding of a study done in August and September 2018. Interviews were conducted with 106
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Black and white: How do workers know the importance of the IPA?
By Nicholas Lee, based on interviews in July 2018 Today’s article takes a little step back to explore how variances in culture and social experience affect the way foreign workers understand and handle paper documentation,
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Lack of functioning transfer market makes skills retention elusive
By Alston Ng, based on interviews in June 2018 About a month ago when Rifat (not his real name) showed up at TWC2, he was evidently distressed by the prospect of repatriation. Having resolved a
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Toes are cheap
Polash is well-dressed and carries himself with self-assurance. He’s been a responsible son for ten years, working in Singapore supporting his parents, brother and sister in Bangladesh. But now he’s in limbo, waiting for his
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Government made Rony stay in Singapore, his marriage destroyed
In the second half of 2017, Sikdar Rony lodged two complaints with the Ministry of Manpower. One was over unpaid salary and the other was about having been made to pay a kickback in order
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Hired as scaffolder, safety-trained as painter, made to work as grinder
By Koh Jie Min, based on an interview in June 2018 Balal comes across as soft spoken when I meet him for this interview. He gives me a wry smile as he points to two
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For men from a poor country, choice is a mirage
In June 2018, TWC2 volunteer Alston Ng went around asking Bangladeshi workers, “Why did you choose to come to Singapore to work?” The words “neoliberal capitalism” are rarely heard in Singapore, but its message has
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The thing that most irks him? “MOM take my passport”
By Ng Zuxiang, based on an interview in July 2018 You have a carefully trimmed goatee. You are 26 years old. You have come from Bangladesh to Singapore as the job opportunities and pay here
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Policy brief 2018, no. 3: Require standard employment contracts
In the third of our policy briefs for 2018, Transient Workers Count Too recommends that it should be mandatory for work permit holders to first sign a Standard Employment Contract (SEC) even before a work
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Listen as peeved MOM officer flames out in phone call
Bangladeshi worker Rimon (not his real name) received this phone call (audio below) from a case officer of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). As you will hear, the officer was telling Rimon off for not
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“Too late, no claim”. Miah Uzzah heads home with five years of losses
By Grace Chua, based on an interview in June 2018 Miah Md Uzzal is heading home. In the previous few weeks, he was on a mission to seek compensation for the salary underpayment he suffered
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Akther, absent doctor and absent rights
By Zhan Nanxin, based on an interview in April 2018 Akther, a young looking construction worker, sits down at TWC2’s free meals station for the first time, with a serious looking injury. Like many, Akther
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Work five months, fight salary case ten months
By Cheryl Lim, based on an interview in May 2018 With his jaw tightly clenched throughout our entire one-hour conversation, 41-year-old construction worker Rahman Habibur, repeatedly asks me, “Can you get back my money? You
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Sorowar goes home with new $35,000 ‘helmet’
Before going home on 18 July 2018, Paik Sorowar went around to thank every volunteer and staff member of TWC2 who had helped him in any way big or small. He may see Transient Workers
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Where the silver lining ends: Safiar’s hopes of avoiding further indebtedness thwarted by bureaucratic opacity
By Alston Ng based on an interview in June 2018 According to a Bloomberg article (footnote 1) dated to Jan 2017, Singaporeans face the shortest unemployment period in the world, spending a median duration of
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Re attempts at salary reduction, MOM ties itself in knots
Based on details collected from casework in May and June 2018 When Rahman Safiar went to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to get his Work Permit processed, he was in for a shock. It was
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Unreported work injuries: more than a matter of statistics
By Liang Lei, based on interviews in June 2018 It is common knowledge that timely diagnosis and treatment of injuries go a long way in minimizing pain and speeding up recovery. In Singapore, the Work
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Policy brief 2018, no. 2: Require mandatory reporting of injuries to MOM by healthcare providers
In the second of four policy briefs for 2018, Transient Workers Count Too recommends that healthcare providers should have a duty to report to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) when a migrant worker is issued
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89% of salary disputes arise from cash-payment employers, confirms MOM
In a parliamentary reply to a question by MP Melvin Yong, Manpower minister Josephine Teo said in July 2018 that only 11% of work permit holders lodging salary claims were paid electronically. (Scroll down for
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MOM jealously guards their non-transparency, yet slams us for not knowing why they do what they do
On 20 July 2018, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) posted a note on Facebook (Link) saying they wished to refute two claims that we made in the article Jaynal lost hs case at ECT; was
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False hope, hesitant trust and bureaucratic complexities
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in May 2018 Received unexpectedly dismal scores for an assessment? Appeal. Although this “survival tactic” for examinations seems to transcend cultures, the consequences can vary drastically from one
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Surgery not covered by insurance, says boss. Go back to India instead
By Nicholas Lee based on an interview in May 2018 The crowd at TWC2’s food programme grows as the hour for the breaking of the Ramadan fast approaches. Among the non-Muslims is Paranthaman Arulvendan, registering
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Bangladeshi workers’ perception of Singapore, choice of Singapore as work destination and journey here
Intern Roy Lim was with TWC2 from late April to early June 2018. Among his tasks were to complete a research project, a smallish one in view of the limited time and that fact that
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More frauds committed using ministry letterhead
In October 2017, we carried a story Fraud committed using ministry letterhead [link] about how a worker was misled about the salary he would be getting before he signed on for a job in Singapore. While,
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One million free meals served — a bittersweet moment for TWC2
Media release, 12 July 2018: 1,000,000 – that is the number of free meals served by local charity Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) since the inception of its free meals programme in 2008. Affectionately known
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TWC2 supports disallowing reduction of salary from IPA
In the 9 July 2018 parliamentary sitting Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo floated the following idea: MOM is considering the possibility of disallowing downward salary revisions altogether. While this will provide workers with more certainty
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Life and happiness for some, downward spiral for Alam
By Sun Hanchen, based on an interview in March 2018 Money is not important, they say. Chase your own happiness, they say. Live for yourself, for life is meant to be enjoyed. As a middle
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On emotional health
By Debbie Fordyce In trying to help injured and out-of-work migrant workers, we at TWC2 find ourselves dealing with a multitude of issues piling onto the same man at the same time. Some of them,
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MOM accuses us of “inaccurate or false information” — here’s our response
This is TWC2’s response to a statement by the Ministry of Manpower over “inaccurate or false information” in our recent stories. The statement was dated 6 July 2018 and carried on the government’s “Factually” website. From
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$55 a day and the bright side of things
By Philomène Franssen based on an interview in April 2018 It is quite an unusual story that I got to hear at TWC2’s Cuff Road Project food programme, one Monday evening. Indeed, as a volunteer
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Policy brief 2018, no. 1: Electronic payment of salary should be mandatory
In the first for four policy briefs for 2018, Transient Workers Count Too sets out the case for electronic payment of salaries for Work Permit holders. The paper points out that “Electronic payment of salaries
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TWC2 welcomed fellow NGOs to Migrant Forum in Asia meeting in Singapore
Earlier this month, TWC2 welcomed 14 foreign delegates to a meeting in Singapore on issues related to work migration. The meeting was co-organised between TWC2 and Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), of which TWC2 is
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Mithun’s first 20 minutes with TWC2
By Zhan Nanxin, from an evening in March 2018 Like many other first timers, Sheikh Mohammad Mithun comes to Transient Workers Count Too’s Dayspace in Little India unsure of what to expect, hoping for advice
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Rashadul goes home with only pocket change
Based on an interview in April 2018 Despite giving us a broad smile, Rashadul’s life has changed for the worse. For example, his broken knee means he will never be able to squat again. The
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“Justice for foreign workers benefits Singaporean workers too,” says TWC2 President
In a commentary piece carried on Channel NewsAsia on 21 June 2018, Assistant Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress Patrick Tay wrote of the significance of a recent High Court judgement in favour of
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When court orders are worthless: the Zach Engineering case
Longform by Gautam Joseph with contribution by Choo Wai Hong Timeline Dec 2014 Two workers at Zach Engineering summarily dismissed after employer has disagreement with Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Mar – Jun 2015 Two workers
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Jaynal lost his case at ECT; was the tribunal’s decision sound?
On 19 October 2017, Abedin Md Jaynal spent virtually the whole day in the Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT) arguing his case. By the close of the day, it was over, and he had lost. The
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48 Nihal workers left high and dry, and MOM’s ‘softly, softly’ role
None of the workers has gotten any real satisfaction. Nada. Worse yet, it was hardly an unusual case; it’s becoming all too common for migrant workers to be left high and dry after their employers
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How our volunteers put injured workers on the road to recovery
By Cheong Kwok Wy Enshrined in the constitution of the World Health Organisation, the notion of basic healthcare is widely regarded as a fundamental right for every human being. By and large, Singapore does provide
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Sarkar Robel finds his salary in a time warp
The main part of this story is based on an interview in November 2017, when the outcome was hard to predict. The postscript was written in April 2018 after the case had concluded. The narrative
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“Excuse me, can we talk to you a little bit?”
Photographs by Nguyen Phi Yen, from an evening in April 2018 Every weekday evening, volunteers with Transient Workers Count Too are there on the streets in front of our meal stations. It’s warm and humid,
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Foreign workforce numbers, 2017
The number of Work Permit holders in the construction sector declined by nearly 10% between end-2016 and end-2017, latest figures on foreign workforce numbers show. There were 284,900 construction Work Permit holders end-2017 compared to
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Bumpy ride for Alaguraja as employer goes doctor-shopping
By Alston Ng, based on an interview in March 2018 It has been 18 years since Ganapathi Alaguraja first arrived in Singapore as a foreign worker, but his impeccable record of accident-free workdays came to
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MOM says Singapore’s workplace injury reporting criteria are “aligned to international practices”
Member of Parliament Louis Ng put in an oral question for oral answer on 19 February 2018, on the topic of injury reporting. Sam Tan, the Minister of State for Manpower replied on behalf of
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Do MOM’s injury statistics hide more than they reveal?
A TWC2 research volunteer recently unearthed some interesting statistics regarding workplace injuries in the construction industry. Compared to other industrialised nations, the ratio of construction injury to overall injury rate and the ratio of construction
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From too much noise to an uneasy silence
By Sun Hanchen, based on an interview in January 2018 I wrote about Rajan (not his real name) in an earlier story “Worker asks for reimbursement of medical bills, sets off chain of events”. In this
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The cook and the consumer
By Aaron Chua, based on interviews conducted in March 2018 At Transient Workers Count Too, we are mostly dealing with cases of salary and injury problems, but what do the day-to-day affairs of an average
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“Company don’t want me anymore,” says this year’s luckiest worker
About ten months after Subra broke his hip, the doctor said it was time to take the metal plate and screws out. His bones had fused well. It would mean a second operation. Subra rather
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Worker asks for reimbursement of medical bills, sets off chain of events
By Sun Hanchen, based on an interview in January 2018 Some months after the accident in September 2016, Rajan (not his real name) was back at work on Jurong Island, albeit instructed by the doctor
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Singapore needs to relook foreign labour, says Finance Minister
The inflow of foreign workers must remain “well-calibrated” to encourage firms to continue improving productivity, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. This was reported in Today newspaper on 18 April 2018. “We need to maintain
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Employment Claims Tribunal handled 1,190 cases in first year of operations
Marking the first anniversary of the new system for salary disputes, the State Courts issued a media statement on 24 April 2018 providing some statistics about the cases they handled during the first twelve months.
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Alone in a foreign country knowing no one who can help
In the middle of March 2018, TWC2 got a call from a Sikh temple. They were sheltering a young woman who had come to them for help. We asked that she be sent to our
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On average, injured workers with TWC2 wait eleven months for compensation
The typical worker who is with TWC2’s Cuff Road Project has waited nearly six months since his workplace accident. Yet he is still some distance from the conclusion of his Work Injury Compensation (Wica) claim.
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Neither here nor there: ‘Supply worker’ predicaments
By Sun Hanchen, based on an interview in November 2017 When most of us apply for a job, we have expectations that the job scope will be related to our field of education or training,
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A review of overtime pay and related issues
Most interns are required to do some research during their period with Transient Workers Count Too. Coupled with their exposure to casework, this is to enable them to gain an in-depth understanding of at least
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Hossain Sabuj tells us who got rich from his working in Singapore
By Tristan Powell-Odden, based on an interview in January 2018 Hossain Sabuj, like many other migrant workers, had a dream: To open a clothing store that re-sold American brands in Bangladesh, his home country. To
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Exploitative law firms: systemic solutions needed from MOM
In late March 2018, a short while after this article Two injured workers provide detailed accounts of a law firm’s practices was published, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) asked for the names of the workers and
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“In Singapore, worker is nothing”
By Philomène Franssen based on an interview in January 2018 Those words in the headline I quote from Nazrul, a disillusioned worker currently waiting for the court hearing that will handle his salary claim. Freshly
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Confidence-destroying interactions with doctors leave Shamim with little trust in compensation system
By Alston Ng, based on an interview in January 2018 In the midst of casual conversations with some usual faces at Alankar Restaurant, Hossen Mohammed Shamim, a 29-year-old Bangladeshi who has not worked for about
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Two injured workers provide detailed accounts of a law firm’s practices
This is a long record (approximately 2,800 words) of what two foreign workers told TWC2 about their experiences with the same law firm. They had engaged the law firm following worksite accidents, but were soon unhappy
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Majority of Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore “did not get enough to eat”, says researcher
“The majority of respondents did not get enough to eat, regularly ate a limited variety of food, and often went to bed hungry in employers’ homes,” reported Charlene Mohammed in her research paper publicly available
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Mohan feels more secure having a lawyer for his injury claim
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in December 2017 What is the role of a lawyer? While we struggle to form an encompassing definition of the profession, our foreign workers seem to have a
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TWC2 submits proposals for improving Singapore’s Employment Act
The Singapore government invited submissions for proposed amendments to the Employment Act. TWC2 made a proposal centred on five areas which will benefit the most number of workers. As our submission makes clear, TWC2’s proposed
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Eager to go home after 15 jobless months
By Aaron Chua, based on an interview in December 2017 Just look at this!”, Alex exclaims, holding up one of the meal cards that are issued by TWC2 to workers in need. The surprise: The
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Grappling with trafficking is like nailing jelly to a wall
Former president of TWC2, John Gee, was a panellist at a human trafficking forum at the National University of Singapore’s Stephen Riady Global Centre on Saturday 27 January 2018. In his talk, titled ‘Nailing jelly
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Crash! Bang! Boss hears windfall from the heavens
Martin* was on his second day at his new job. He was employed as a construction worker, but he had let his boss know that he held a Singapore driving licence. His boss asked him
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Shariful’s case shows how injury leads to poorer housing
By Tristan Powell-Odden, based on an interview in December 2017 Despite being in pain from an injury, Shariful had to look for new accommodation and worry about how to pay for it. Housing issues shouldn’t
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Employer sent to jail, worker’s compensation still unpaid. Is this good enough?
Suriakumar Ridgeway Ramaiah, will be serving jailtime for failing to pay injury compensation to a worker. Strictly speaking, the sole proprietor of Ridgeway Marine and Construction, was fined $21,000 on 16 November 2016 for failing to buy work
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A look back at job mobility policies 2011 – 2017
There has been a gradual liberalisation over the last few years allowing construction workers to transfer to new jobs. This paper takes stock of evolving government policy in this area. Transient Workers Count Too has argued
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Ratan waited three years before filing a salary complaint – why so long?
By Nicholas Lee, based on an interview in October 2017 The promise of a higher salary and a better life — this is the main reason why most foreign workers leave their families and the
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By law, boss has to pay MC wages, so why is Hasan still asking for them?
By Tristan Powell-Odden, based on an interview in December 2017 Hasan Tamim has been seven months without work as a result of an accident. Not only was he not fully paid his salary before the
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Victims of unpaid salaries have hard time getting transfer jobs
One of the more encouraging things that Transient Workers Count Too has noticed in the past few years is that now, nearly all victims of unpaid salary are given a chance by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
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“Sometimes $50 … na, take and go” is what passes for salary
By Alston Ng, based on an interview in December 2017 Pressing against the table and straining to be heard, Majumder Dilip Kumar (above left) recounts how he came to live off the goodwill of friends
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Anowar’s plight shows need for vibrant transfer-job market
By Isaac Ong, based on an interview in November 2017 Anowar arrived in Singapore for his current job with Akilas Enterprise in late 2016, working for several months without issues. In June this year, however,
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TWC2 president speaks at Singapore UN Association’s UNASMUN
TWC2 was invited to speak at the 2017 United Nations Association of Singapore Model United Nations (UNASMUN) preparatory conference which took place at the Singapore Institute of Management from 19-22 December 2017. At the conference,
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The man in the ministry’s locked drawer
By Alex, based on an interview in November 2017 “Why are you still in Singapore?” I ask Sarkar Debabrata. He is showing me a Special Pass dated 19 January 2017 — ten months old — which
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Asean consensus on migrant labour: gaps between reality and Singapore’s commitments
In November 2017, Asean heads of government signed an ‘Asean Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers’. The terms of the document were not binding, and every article within was
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MOM booklet sweeps forward, then stumbles
Arriving in our mailbox earlier this week was a new booklet published by the Ministry of Manpower, titled ‘6 Simple Steps to comply with Employment Laws’. This is indeed a good initiative; from here on,
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Rafa and the line between white and black
By Isaac Ong, based on an interview in November 2017 “This is my wrong but I don’t want pay [you] money. Even if I go jail, [even if] I no company, but I still don’t
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Paying over $3,000 in recruitment cost for a $477-per-month job? That’s the way it is
By Aaron Chua, based on an interview in November 2017 “Hello,” says Bhimol* to TWC2 volunteer Alex Au, just as Alex is arriving at The Cuff Road Project’s meal station. “I come back,” adds Bhimol.
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No hook for safety harness. Go up anyway, orders supervisor
By Jiang Zhi Feng, based on an interview in November 2017 “Fall down how?” a concerned Miah asked his company’s supervisor about precariousness of mending a pipe two metres above ground without a safety hook.
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Singapore laws take care of our foreign workers, or do they?
By Tan Yen Seow, based on an interview in November 2017 Islam Saiful, 32, is my first interviewee at TWC2. He is a Bangladeshi national who has been working in Singapore on a Work Permit
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The friendly man in the coffee shop
By Troy Lee, based on two interviews in October 2017 Shamim paints a picture of how he got his latest job. In the second half of 2016, while he was happily in his previous job,
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Experienced plumber lost, who cares about productivity?
FOREWORD: For years, Transient Workers Count Too has been speaking out against the revolving door practices behind Singapore’s foreign labour. At the slightest unhappiness, employers are quick to send workers home and recruit fresh new
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MOM wrong to accuse us of ‘inaccurate’ and ‘untrue’ account
On 5 December 2017, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) put up a note on their Facebook page accusing TWC2 of publishing an “inaccurate” account. This was in relation to the story we had posted on
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At TWC2, we ask injured workers about their salary. Why?
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in October 2017 Running into unexpected trouble overseas is often inconvenient and frustrating – even seasoned travellers among us would readily testify to this. Language barriers, differences in
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Despite injury, despite longing for home, a need to stay and work abroad
By Jiang Zhi Feng, based on an interview in October 2017 For ten years as a Bangladeshi migrant worker in Singapore, Hossain Awlad has only been back home three times. He misses home. He misses
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Greedy, unlicenced job brokers: one down, many more to go
In a promising development, the Ministry of Manpower has successfully prosecuted a Bangladeshi worker who acted as a job broker and who had pocketed some $30,900 in illicit profit. Roy Tapon Kumar pleaded guilty and
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Injury compensation case goes well, then all fouled up by lawyer and lover
By Janson Chang, based on an interview in September 2017 Remo (not his real name) is one man among many as he sidles forward in the queue to have his meal card stamped. He doesn’t
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Only 400 survived the fight for new jobs. Out of 100,000?
“As of Oct 2017,” said Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower, in a written answer to a parliamentary question, “400 [Work Permit holders have] changed employers after completing their work permit terms.” He gave this
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After ten years, Asean reaches ‘consensus’ on migrant labour rights
Asean heads of government put signatures to an ‘Asean Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers’ on 14 November 2017, at their recently concluded summit meeting in Manila. This document
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MOM gives Ashiqur and Anisur two weeks to find new jobs
By Daryl Loh, based on an interview in October 2017 Ashiqur and Anisur are desperate. Time is running out. The Ministry of Manpower has told them their Special Passes will not be renewed after another two
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Employer of ‘release’ workers sentenced to jail with caning
For the first time, a company director will be caned for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Goh Eng Kiat, 33, was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining work passes for 30 foreign workers
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Bridging the academic-NGO divide: Making research relevant to migrant workers and their front line supporters.
This is a speech given by Nicholas Harrigan, a member of TWC2’s research subcommittee, at the ‘Health of Migrants and Refugees Workshop’ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 10 November 2017. This workshop was hosted by United Nations University
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Escaping from ruthless employer, Amzad gets help at every turn
By Chow Shunqi, based on an interview in September 2017 (27 Sept) He stayed as quiet as he could so others would think he was asleep. When it was 3am, he tiptoed out of the
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Basic salary stated in IPA is “prima facie” the applicable basic salary, rules the High Court
In a landmark judgment released 1 November 2017, the High Court has ruled that the basic salary stated in the In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (IPA) “would constitute prima facie evidence” of the correct
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TWC2’s top three recommendations
In late June 2017, Channel NewsAsia asked Transient Workers Count Too for a commentary article with the suggested theme of “whether we think migrant workers are an integral part of Singapore society, following reports of how
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Hosen Khalilur has had to fork out $3,500 in rent
Video by Jonathan Ang, August 2017 Hosen Khalilur’s experience is typical of the cases that come to Transient Workers Count Too. After sustaining a back injury at work and being placed on medical leave, company
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What are the rules for housing injured workers?
The law as to who is responsible for workers’ accommodation is a dustball of words. The exact meaning is fuzzy and can be squeezed every which way. In practice however, the words are largely rendered moot.
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Domestic workers shell out money to dress up for pageants
The Sunday edition of the Straits Times, 29 October 2017, featured beauty contests that attract domestic workers on their days off. It said that there are such pageants almost every week, run by about 20 private organisers.
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When being unreasonable pays off
By Jiang Zhi Feng, based on an interview in October 2017 After Rana Masum approached a lawyer to lodge an injury compensation claim, he found his Work Permit cancelled by his employer. Not long after,
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Employer charged for taking money from workers
In a press statement, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported that Chen Quan, director of Hong Lu Engineering Pte Ltd has been charged for kickback offences. Chen, 35, who is also managing director of Trusty Aluminium
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Injured Azizul given only $1,000 to live on for 15 months
By Philomène Franssen, based on an interview in September 2017 One thousand dollars is what Azizul received from his employer seven months after the June 2016 accident that took place at his work site. It was
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Straits Times: Help migrant workers stand up for their own safety
The commentary below was published in the Straits Times, 25 October 2017. John Gee For The Straits Times They form majority of workers in workplaces with high accident rates and deserve more targeted help measures Singapore
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Sumon has been five years in Singapore, never held his son before
By Nicholas Lee, based on an interview in September 2017 “Men die, company no thinking, only thinking money”. With words like that reflecting the treatment that Miah Md Sumon and his fellow compatriots receive, it
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Caring for the caregiver: foreign domestic workers’ access to medical care
In a survey of 468 foreign domestic workers (“FDW”), TWC2 found that generally, their access to medical care for minor ailments did not seem to be impeded. Over 80% of FDWs were taken by their
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442 charges against two Singaporeans for taking money for non-existent jobs
“Terry Tan-Soo I-Hse, 39, and Clarence Lim Jun Yao, 30, face a total of 442 charges for operating and using three sham companies to collect fees from more than 300 foreign job seekers for jobs
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When an employer says a worker has ‘run away’, what really happened? Sumon’s story
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in August 2017 Sometimes, when it comes to foreign workers, it is both worrying and terrifying to realize just how much they are at the mercy of the
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As Singapore goes cashless, dismantle structural barriers faced by foreign workers
In his National Day Rally speech on 20 August 2017, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the need for greater efforts in migrating to cashless transactions. Subsequently, other ministers developed the point further. Transient
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Seven Myanmar nationals jailed a year each for rioting
Seven Myanmar nationals were sentenced on 13 October 2017 to twelve months’ imprisonment for rioting. They had got into a fight with three other Burmese around 10:35pm on 4 June 2017. This was reported in Yahoo
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Fraud committed using ministry letterhead
Sarowar (not his real name) approaches our help desk hesitantly. Despite being in his mid-thirties, he does not exude much self-confidence. Maybe it’s because he knows his English is weak, and what he has to
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A mookata waiter’s tale
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in July 2017 The raid came. Subbas was on duty that night, and he was arrested. His luck had run out. He would spend a month in jail
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TWC2 joins two shadow reports on CEDAW
Transient Workers Count Too joined with 12 other NGOs in Singapore to submit a joint shadow report to the United Nations Committee on Cedaw (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)
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HOME and TWC2 submit joint report on the exploitation of migrant domestic workers
The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) and Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) have submitted a shadow report to the United Nations CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) Committee.
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Siddik and Rafique’s lives frozen as Freezeland Aircon & Electrical folds
By Jonah Foong, based on interviews in July 2017 In George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, the fictional land of Oceania is ruled by Big Brother, a man of ‘about forty-five’ with a ‘heavy black moustache
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Unpaid workers find company funds diverted
A boss was apologetic that he was unable to pay his employees their salaries on time. But what is interesting is the reason why he couldn’t do so: he had to pay foreign worker levies to
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Raiful paid $8,000, job didn’t exist. Initial attempt to lodge complaint rebuffed
By Troy Lee based on an interview in July 2017 In the early hours of Friday, 7 July 2017, Md Raiful Islam touched down at Changi airport, looking forward to start on a new job.
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“Agree to lower salary, or you won’t get your pay,” says company manager
By Wahid Al Mamun based on an interview late July 2017 A lot of things can happen in two months, and Mollah Showrov has learned this the hard way. His right leg is now in
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Employer proclaims he lied to ministry, then gets away with paying less in salary
Transient Workers Count Too came across a very interesting statement by Mr Tan Khim Long, director of KBC Engineering Pte Ltd. The company was defending a salary claim by a former employee, a Bangladeshi named
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Bangladesh’s Financial Express: The plight of Singapore migrants from Bangladesh
“The root of the problem faced by Bangladesh workers is a hands-off attitude by both governments. More on the side of the Bangladesh government,” TWC2’s Alex Au was quoted as saying in an article in
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Records of accidents are such a nuisance, aren’t they?
By Namgay Choden, based on an interview in July 2017 With me this evening is Howlader Mohammod Selim, and he tells me about what happened in September 2016. Selim had suffered an accident at work,
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Harri men go home, not everything resolved
On 23 June 2017, we put up a post on Facebook that said: This is Jafar Ahmmad. He came in 2014 to work for Harri Engineering. His boss, Nallusamy Narayanan accused him and other workers
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A leap of faith goes four metres down
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in June 2017 What would you do if you think that your job constitutes a breach of safety regulations? For foreign workers, even having a choice of action is
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Wage theft as it happens
There are many stories on this website about employers arbitrarily reducing migrant workers’ salaries soon after the latter have started on their jobs. Employers and their agents promise certain terms of employment while the worker is still
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Research forum report, July 2017
By Regina Ng and Emily Sugerman TWC2’s July 2017 research forum focused on the impact of migration on children in Indonesian households as well as health meanings for foreign domestic workers. Migrating out of poverty?
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TWC2 and HOME submit shadow report on Indonesia for CMW review
Transient Workers Count Too and the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) submitted a joint shadow report on Indonesia to the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) in early August
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Letter to Straits Times: Set up portal for employers to hire foreign workers
This is a continuation of an exchange of letters between the Ministry of Manpower and TWC2, published in the Straits Times. The earlier part of the exchange can be seen here. Responding to TWC2’s letter published
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A profile: Amin stays positive despite setbacks
By Jonah Foong, based on an interview in June 2017 Across the world, foreign labour is often cheap, and their working conditions abysmal. Tales of starving, overworked, and unpaid workers are not unheard of –
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Going cashless? Over half of work permit holders don’t have bank accounts
In early August 2017, it was reported in various media that public transport will be going cashless by 2020. By 2020, commuters travelling on Singapore’s transport system will no longer need to use cash or
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Letter to Straits Times: MOM’s advice out of step with reality
On 13 August 2017, the Straits Times highlighted the case of over a dozen Bangladeshi workers from SJH Trading. They told the newspaper that they had not been paid their salaries. Most are in their
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Alam’s one angry, kicking rooster
By Beh Jing Yi, based on an interview in June 2017 It has been five months since Alam Md Khorshed received any medical leave wages from his employer. He estimates he is owed about $3,900. He
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After ten days in hospital, company tries to rush Mazharul onto a plane
By Janson Chang, based on an interview in June 2017 Throughout most of our conversation Islam Mazharul does not sit easy. The two friends who accompany him do more than half the telling, during which
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Contract substitution made easier by ministry?
Over the years, Transient Workers Count Too has seen many cases where, after arriving in Singapore to start on their jobs, migrant workers are told by their bosses that the salary stated on the In-Principle Approval
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Noor worked nine months; never paid his proper salary
By Marcus Chee, based on an interview in June 2017 Through nine months, Noor Mohammod was only given a meagre amount of $130 monthly by his employer, and the entirety of that money had to
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“Short pants, T-shirt, like this airport how to go?”
By Sun Hanchen; based on an interview in May 2017 The TWC2 volunteer was only following TWC2’s registration protocol, as he requested Shahjahan Mahamud to pose for a simple photo for documentation purposes. Shahjahan hesitated. It
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Worker had to pay $80 to get his own payslips
We shall call the worker Towhid. He was paid less than promised through several months of work. After lodging a complaint at the Ministry of Manpower, his case went before the Labour Court, which strictly
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Injury compensation law vanishes on the way to the toilet
By Wahid Al Mamun, based on an interview in May 2017 What constitutes a workplace injury? This seems like an easy question to answer as I sit with Rana Md Sohel at TWC2’s meal programme.
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Employers owe hospitals money; workers’ treatment at risk
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in May 2017 Undoubtedly, Singapore can boast of a world-leading healthcare system that offers high quality medical treatment for a wide range of injuries, diseases and emergencies. Unfortunately, timely
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Blackmail attempt at airport
Here’s an account of an incident at Changi airport as a TWC2 volunteer accompanied Nagelli Mahendar Reddy to see him off. By Silvester Goh Last night, 29 June 2017, I accompanied injured worker Nagelli Mahender
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Employer demands worker return to work. Worker says he’s not well enough. Who’s right?
By Wahid Al Mamun, based on an interview in May 2017 Dipangka (not his real name) is of slight frame and voice. He shifts around gingerly on the plastic seat at TWC2’s free meals programme. As
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TWC2 helps 21 workers ‘escape’ Singapore island
By Jacinta Leow “When they saw the bungalow,” recalled Irene Ong, the co-leader of TWC2’s Discover Singapore team, “they were delighted, saying ‘Wow, it’s just like home.'” ‘Home’ was Discover Singapore’s overnight field trip to St
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Migrant workers in Singapore “vulnerable to forced labor, including debt bondage”, says US TIP 2017 report
Transient Workers Count Too is deeply appreciative of the US State Department’s efforts at drawing attention to the evil of trafficking in persons, through its annual Trafficking in Persons Report. The 2017 segment relating to
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Sukranjan’s case drags beyond 12 months. How is he to survive?
By Troy Lee, based on an interview in May 2017 On the Ministry of Manpower’s website, it is stated that most work injury claims take “3 to 6 months for most cases. Some injuries may need
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Today Weekend features our Everglory scam story
Our earlier story on the Everglory Construction case (The Everglory scam: productivity incentive shot to pieces) caught the attention of the press. Today Weekend (a newspaper) carried a story titled “Efforts to raise quality of construction workforce
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Two men thinking of home
By Sun Hanchen Every day, tens of thousands of foreign workers begin their day in the wee hours of the morning. They are employed to do blue-collar work shunned by Singaporeans – construction, maintenance and
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Job prematurely ended, Mollah Sharif facing debt collectors in three days
By Bill Poorman All he needs is some more time. Not forever. “One week, two week, three week,” Mollah Sharif Hossain says. Instead, he got only three days. Three days to save his life. It’s
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Kamroul waiting months for MRI, not allowed to work, no income
By Sun Hanchen Hasan Kamroul was a marine trades worker, working at Benoi Shipyard. 7 December 2016 was supposed to be just another normal work night for him, but all changed several hours into his
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Straits Times reports on ‘gaps in Labour Court system’ and the plight of 5 Zach Engineering employees
Following the launch of TWC2’s research report yesterday (see Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations), the Straits Times carried two stories Friday (30 June 2017) almost filling up all of page B4.
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Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations
A new study released by Transient Workers Count Too on 29 June 2017 reveals challenges faced by low-wage migrant workers with unpaid salaries and workplace injuries in obtaining compensation and recourse. The study, conducted by
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The Everglory scam: productivity incentive shot to pieces
This is a story of how one branch of the government undermines what another branch is trying to do. Low productivity in the construction industry has been a concern for years. Among the measures being tried
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The rough seas of debt
In an earlier story[1], Liang Lei has sketched the origins of Sikder Sumon’s salary case and the long time it took at the Ministry of Manpower. Here, Edgar Chan adds a bit more detail about
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Sumon’s salary case stretched for five months, exhausting his ability to fight for his full amount
By Liang Lei “I tired already”, was Sumon’s reply to why he chose not to continue pursuing his case, despite a settlement that will only entitle him to S$11,000. That’s half of the amount he
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Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers stuffed into office drawers
By Katia Barthélémy Heading to one of the restaurants in Little India where TWC2 offers free meals to injured and salary-unpaid migrant workers, I am wondering about the kind of life story I will come
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How do you determine if your employer or doctor is “good” or “bad”?
We wondered how a foreign worker might form an opinion whether he was getting adequate medical care. We picked a worker at random to see what he has to say. By Cheow Yong Jian Meet
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Anatomy of an S-Pass scam
By Darren Oei Rama, a forty-ish Indian national, comes up to TWC2 volunteer Alex, giving him an update to his case. Alex nods and says “Good, that’s good,” though I can’t make sense of what
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Left bleeding for four hours, no ambulance called
By Sun Han Chen The senior volunteer clenches his fist tightly. “Are you able to do this?” he asks Khalil Ibrahim whom we’re interviewing. “Yes, but very pain,” Ibrahim replies softly, repeatedly rubbing his right
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Bangladeshi bank charges 10% interest per month
Rakib and Kanak don’t know each other, but both come on the same day to Transient Workers Count Too with similar stories. The chief similarity was that they both had borrowed from Brac Bank whose
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Neat payslips hide violations in plain sight
Rahman Habibur complains that he has been short-paid for well over a year. It is not immediately obvious when one looks at his payslips. They appear very clearly drawn up. But closer examination reveals that
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Injured worker given ‘good news’: “Go home, see your family for a week.”
By Chow Zheng Shuan Uddin Md Jashim — or Din, as his friends call him — is at Isthana Restaurant this Monday evening for dinner provided by TWC2. After receiving his packed meal from the
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Today newspaper highlights TWC2’s work fatigue study
Transient Workers’ Count Too’s Work Fatigue survey (see here for more about the study) was featured in Today newspaper on 6 May 2017. As often is the case in Singapore, the story leads with a
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TWC2 participates in country review of Bangladesh at the United Nations in Geneva
Transient Workers Count Too was represented at a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, where the Bangladesh government’s handling of migrant worker issues came under scrutiny. Specifically, Bangladesh’s governance was reviewed against its commitments to the International
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No work, no money, no food
By Bill Poorman “No work.” Those were the worst possible words that Masud could have heard. Like all foreign workers, he had come to Singapore to put in long hours and make a better life. In Singapore,
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Cheating agents and sleeping agencies
By Jean Law Debesh* is going back to Bangladesh after a mere four months working in Singapore. He is leaving much poorer than if he had not come at all. This is because his money
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68% of construction workers work illegally long hours
Over two-thirds (68%) of foreign construction workers work so much overtime that their total monthly overtime hours would breach the legal maximum of 72 overtime hours a month. Of these, one in three (23%) worked twelve
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Worker can’t get surgery; everything’s a bureaucratic mess
By Namgay Choden Hasan Mohammad Suman’s left thumb was injured December 2016 when it was jammed between steel bars at his worksite. It is late February now as I speak with him. He is scheduled to have
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From a complicated injury case, a simple truth
By Long Yiou As a rookie interviewer, I feel that Hossain Mohammad Alamgir’s injury case is far more complicated than the storyline of the movie Inception. Though he has only been in Singapore for two years
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When a case is “resolved”, what does that mean?
By Sean Yee In Parliament on 6 February 2017, Manpower minister Lim Swee Say said, “MOM received about 9,000 salary-related claims involving some 4,500 employers in 2016. So, 9,000 claims; 4,500 employers. Through mediation by
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Construction worker says he was asked to repair taxi gearbox
Singapore is so short of labour that a well-known taxi company has been relying on construction workers to run its vehicle workshops. They are asked to clean the taxis, but also “do gearbox repair,” says
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“My medicine all throw away,” says Miah Zilu
By Andy Lee It was just another ordinary day in January 2017 for Miah Zilu, working in a shipyard, when he fell down the ladder with a 16kg load. He was immediately sent to Ng Teng
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The New Paper: Jobless and unpaid, foreign workers face daunting fate
The difficulties faced by foreign workers in Singapore seeking alternative jobs — even when permitted to do so by the Ministry of Manpower — were highlighted in a story in The New Paper 24 March
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Donation campaign a huge success, distribution of 3G phones begins
42 delighted men received 3G phones from Transient Workers Count Too 21 March 2017. It was the first of a series of phone distribution events that has been planned in advance of the cessation of 2G
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MOM makes about-turn after saying it can’t much help HBB workers
The Straits Times reporter met with the men on Thursday 2 March 2017. We thought the story would be out around the weekend, but the newspaper didn’t have enough space. Parliament was sitting and debating
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“Money coming”, but no one told Hossain
Text by Jean Law, video by Jonathan Ang Hossain Monir believes that compensation for his permanent injury was paid out three months ago, but not to him. He is mistaken, but he is not totally
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TWC2 and HOME submit joint shadow report on Bangladesh re Migrant Worker Convention
Transient Workers Count Too and the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) submitted a joint shadow report to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families
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Give.asia and the Straits Times snatch two men from the jaws of penury
Islam Rafiqul and Sujan Ahmed were downcast when they first approached TWC2 for help. But by the time they went back to Bangladesh, their faith in Singaporeans was fully restored, thanks to the Straits Times
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Foreign workforce numbers 2012 – 2016
For easy reference in future, we carry below the statistics relating to employed expatriates/workers for the years 2012 to 2016, extracted from the Ministry of Manpower website on 24 Feb 2017. Equivalent data for the
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There goes the number one worker
By Janson Chang “I was the number one good worker,” says Sheikh Milon, betraying a hint of emotion for the first time in our conversation, beneath his otherwise rugged, unflappable exterior. “I worked six years,
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Harri boss finally sent to jail for salary and housing abuses
In an encouraging development, the prosecutor in a recent case made the argument that using the threat of dismissal and repatriation to compel foreign workers to accept lower wages would constitute an offence. According to
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One quarter of Labour Court salary orders unpaid
At the parliamentary sitting of 9 January 2017, Nominated Member of Parliament Kok Heng Leun posed a question to the Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say (pictured above). As published in the Hansard, Labour Court Orders
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9,000 salary complaints, 16,000 injured workers in 2016
In 2016, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) received about 9,000 complaints from workers over salaries. These complaints related to about 4,500 employers. This was reported in the Straits Times, 6 Feb 2017, in a story
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Shortpaid, indebted and repatriated
By Jiang Haolie Molla Shohid will be put on a flight back to his village of Bhouria Challa in Bangladesh any day now. He does not know if he will be compensated for the promised
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For members of TWC2: Email verification exercise 2017
TWC2 is proud that that we have many long-standing members. But the drawback is that your email addresses may have changed over time. We need to do a verification exercise, and we seek your cooperation
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Employers should purchase more insurance, salutary lesson shows
We’ll call the worker ‘Byoghu’ in this story. He had worked before in Singapore and quite successfully. But when he returned for a second job, he soon fell ill. In the first two weeks on
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Sujel’s agent charged him 26 times his basic salary for placement fee
By Teo Yi Ning It is not often that we get to meet a migrant worker that has been working and living in Singapore for more than 20 years. Subramaniyan Peramaiyan first came to Singapore
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Average recruitment cost hit $15,000 in 2015 for first-time Bangladeshi construction workers
After hearing anecdotal reports of ‘agent fees’ in the region of $17,000 or $18,000, Transient Workers Count Two carried out a pilot survey to determine if these were rare cases, or if recruitment costs have
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“Please change the system, and I will come again to work”
By Gek Han “Please Singapore government, please change the system, and I will come here again to work.” When Hossain returns to Bangladesh, he will try to find work in South Korea, rather than Singapore.
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Was there no prosecution in 2016 for non-payment of salaries?
As 2016 came to a close, TWC2 trawled through the website of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to see what prosecutions have been listed there through the year. MOM issues press releases whenever an employer has
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Straits Times: Gap in law to protect workers
Journalist Toh Yong Chuan had a short op-ed on page 2 of the Straits Times 24 Jan 2017 following his two reports of workers who could not collect on their Labour Court awards. See these
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Worker unable to collect injury compensation; MOM says he must be “realistic”
Just like Islam Rafiqul’s case which was told in the Straits Times last week, Sujan Ahmed too is unable to collect the Labour Court award he has been given. Sujan’s employer is simply refusing to
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Straits Times: Labour Court can’t make employer pay
Islam Rafiqul’s case was highlighted in a full-page story in the Straits Times 19 January 2017. Headlined “Labour Court can’t make employer pay”, it described this Bangladeshi worker’s plight, having been owed over $7,363 in
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Wahed’s problem with medical leave wages had a Siamese twin
By Isaac Ong In April 2016, 36 year-old Wahed M A was in hospital recovering from a left eye surgery, hoping to return to work to support his wife and three children back home in
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TWC2 survey: starting salaries for migrant workers flatlined for the last 10 years
Starting basic salaries for first-time workers from India and Bangladesh have remained more or less static since 2006, averaging slightly under Singapore dollars 600 per month. However, when adjusted for inflation, a downward trend is
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How the rich get richer, the poor get poorer: Mondol’s experience
One of the major themes when analysing the current crisis of neoliberal capitalism is the way economic rent has run amuck, exacerbating the rich-poor divide. Economic rent is the profit extracted by a party who
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Looking for someone with a happy story, but found Mia Mukles
By Lim Jia Ren I wove my way through the busy crowd on Dunlop Street, doubling my pace as I lugged my bag clumsily after me, hoping not to leave the first impression of being
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Foreign cleaners’ pay should match local cleaners’
Following news that accelerated pay increases for cleaner will be implemented, but only for local employees, Transient Workers Count Too wrote to the Straits Times. On 16 December 2016, our letter was published. Consider raising
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‘This is so real’: Reflections on 32 months with The Cuff Road Project
By Shona Loong It is Saturday, 17 September 2016: Tito is in tears. He is being sent home after just six months in Singapore. His boss has bought him a plane ticket for this evening.
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MOM’s Labour Court skirted with enforcing an illegal ‘contract’
Volunteers at TWC2 were alarmed to hear from Sohel Rana, in mid July 2016, that the Assistant Commissioner of Labour presiding over his Labour Court case might be planning to rule in a manner contrary
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This season of giving
Transient Workers Count Too was happily surprised when two unexpected donations came in in the days leading up to Christmas. Vidula (below, at left) brought a cheque for $10,000 — money she raised by baking
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Father injured, son’s college hopes in peril
By Poh De Sheng Perhaps the chief reason foreign workers come to Singapore is the comparatively higher salaries on offer. Men will endure the hardship of separation, crowded living conditions and abominable hours of physical labour
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Held in windowless room, Shahjahan faced forced repatriation. TWC2 rescues him
800 By Kimberley Ng Kept in a windowless room with three company representatives patrolling outside and the imminent threat of forced deportation looming over his head, Molla Shahjahan called TWC2 for help. At 11 on the
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Dr Strange, Indian food, lots of heart and money raised.
Beginning in 2012, TWC2 treated foreign workers to a nice meal at its annual fund raising event. This year, for a change, we took them to a movie. So Lunch With Heart becomes @theMovie on
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By being obstructive over initial treatment, Hosen’s employer may end up paying more medical costs
By Nadira Mohd Iesham Except for the first day, Hosen Mobarak has had to fight to get medical treatment. He has not always succeeded. What began as a broken fingernail ended up requiring surgery —
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TWC2 networks with regional NGOs at Dhaka conference
Alex Au, Treasurer of TWC2, represented Transient Workers Count Too at a back-to-back series of meetings and conferences in Dhaka, Bangladesh, first week of December 2016. First in the series was the General Forum of
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Smart phones: status symbol and social divider
By Grigor Barseghyan Bangladesh is a country located in South Asia with a population of 156 million people. The capital city of Bangladesh is Dhaka. From the city and around is where lots of workers come to
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Cornered, Ahammed was told to “go back home”
By James Mah “Go back home”. Such remarks can be heard infrequently in Singapore, uttered by locals frustrated at the sight of migrant workers on public transport when buses and trains are jam-packed. Most of
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The artist in Parthiban blooms amidst injury and loss of a hand
By Katia Barthelemy Photos by Dipti Nagpaul-D’Souza, a journalist with The Indian Express One of the nice aspects of volunteering with TWC2 is the reward you feel contributing a bit to restoring migrant workers’ faith in Singapore.
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Bangladeshi cleaner electrocuted while washing floor
The Straits Times reported, 1 December 2016, a coroner’s finding that Kabir Mohammad Faysal, 29, had been electrocuted while using a water jet to clean the floor at a housing estate. The motor of the jet
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Getting to Bahamas
Transient Workers Count Too launched a custom-developed software application in October 2016. It is a complex matrix that is part-database of volunteers, members, donors and other contacts, part-database of volunteering events, and a whole lot
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Reflections: Wica and Labour Court processes
Most interns who spend 6 – 9 weeks with TWC2 are asked to wrap up their internship with an essay on a specific topic. Law student Pranay Arvind Suryavanshi spent his mid-year vacation 2016 with
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Boss fined for raking in $93,000 in renewal fees
The Straits Times reported that Ng Boon Cheng, managing director of Lian Lee Wooden Case Maker Co (above, in ST pic), was fined $60,000 on 22 November 2016 for collecting kickbacks from his foreign workers.
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Sent to work illegally and caught by police
“The police was at the gate of the shipyard that day, checking all workers arriving at work,” Nagelli Mahendar Reddy tells TWC2. “I think someone had informed them that there were illegal workers.” Unfortunately, Nagelli
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Employer hired out his worker, then disclaimed responsibility for accident
By Sarah Tong Kashem was employed by one company but was sent to work for another, a scaffolding company. When he was injured, his employer took the position that the accident happened ‘off-site’, and so
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Reflections: Salary issues faced by migrant workers
Most interns who spend 6 – 9 weeks with TWC2 are asked to wrap up their internship with an essay on a specific topic. Rebecca spent her mid-year vacation 2016 with us assisting with casework and
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Pay is many times better than in Bangladesh, but living conditions worse
By Poh De Sheng Farid is a Bangladeshi national who has had the uncommon experience of having worked at shipyards in both Bangladesh and Singapore. He was able to offer a comparison of the conditions
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Injured worker abandoned without food for two days
By Yi Ning On 18 March 2016, Islam Saiful fell about three metres at his worksite, landing on his back and leaving him with agonizing pain. This was just the start of his problems. He was
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Employer and agents quick to extract money, slow to provide injury compensation
By Poh De Sheng Moorthy, an Indian national, is the sole breadwinner for his family, which consists of his wife, young daughter and parents. He came to Singapore a year and a half ago after
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Muthamilselvan thought he’d be taken to hospital. Fat chance.
By Vivek R It was a rainy day in Jurong Shipyard on Chinese New Year’s eve 2016. The worksite was particularly slippery as rain water coalesced with sand to turn the working grounds into slurry.
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Ataus loses his job after only nine days – and after he paid $3,800 for it
By Kan Ren Jie On 23 June 2016, Ataus Samad Rifat, 28, was suddenly fired from his job. “Go back home. Your work permit has been cancelled. We have already bought ticket.” The ‘madam’ (the
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Diluted Justice: Protection and redress for trafficked fishermen in Asia
A joint research by Dr Sallie Yea and Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) reveals that trafficked fishermen face insurmountable barriers to access legal and economic justice and protection. These barriers are caused by the following
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Some workers get to cook, others have to put up with bad catered food
By Seah Bei Ying Most of us have seen some Bangladeshi workers having their packed lunches in void decks in heartland areas. Where the lunch come from? Did they buy curry and rice from the
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Foreign workers chained by debt, governments have a moral duty to act
By Kimberley Ng In recent years, Singapore’s slowing economy has meant fewer construction and marine sector jobs for migrant workers. What few might realise is that recruitment costs have risen prohibitively through the same period.
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Reflections: Access to medical care
Most interns who spend 6 – 9 weeks with TWC2 are asked to wrap up their internship with an essay on a specific topic. Nikie spent May to July 2016 with us assisting with casework and
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Boss cancels worker’s surgery, worker loses flexibility and feeling in thumb
By Audrey Tan He took on a new job with high hopes, but now finds himself at the lowest point of his life. Ragunathan Kaliyarasan, 28, is jobless and struggling to recover after a workplace
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Reflections: Housing and sustenance for Special Pass men
Most interns who spend 6 – 9 weeks with TWC2 are asked to wrap up their internship with an essay on a specific topic. Moe spent April and May 2016 with us assisting with casework
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If “boss say carry more, I also cannot say no,” — Imran injures his back despite ministry’s safe load limit
By Teo Yi Ning It was only his third month working at a concrete casting company when Sheikh Mohammad Imran hurt his back. The concrete slab that he was carrying landed on his back when
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Islam Mahabub, injured, unable to work, fears for his children
Video by Nicole Ng, text by Colin Ng, with contributions by Alex Au For most construction workers like Islam Mahabub, a job here comes at a hefty price. Based on casual reports collected by TWC2 from
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Why did you choose to work in Singapore? We ask Jakir
By Gek Han Family was the only consideration when Jakir decided to work overseas. Jakir was fifteen when his father died, and Jakir’s elder brother was not earning enough to support his family of six.
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Workers who find their doctors and lawyers adding to their problems
By Pat Meyer At TWC2, we expect to be helping workers with employer-related problems. But at least as often, we find ourselves dealing with problems created by doctors and lawyers. It was raining hard Tuesday
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A note to students
TWC2 receives numerous requests from students embarking on project work, or fulfilling other school requirements. While we are pleased that students are keen to find out more about migrant workers and to devise projects to
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A million thanks for myriad acts of kindess
We have a lot of pictures like the one above, showing a volunteer doing something for a worker, in this case, registering him for our free meals programme (Cuff Road Project). Indeed, our volunteers are
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No lorry means no doctor
By J Wen In a recession, should a company prioritise cutting costs over the health of its employees? One engineering firm in Aljunied seems to think so, after leaving one of their injured workers with
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The name of the devil is process: how regulatory process creates and sustains the disempowerment and injustices faced by migrant labour
For a few years now, Transient Workers Count Too has been asked to give a talk to journalists gathered at the annual Asia Journalism Fellowship. The following videos are adapted from the talk that Alex
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Razib’s simple foot injury grows into a struggle for treatment, housing and money
By Seah Bei Ying A heavy steel rod smashed into Razibozzaman’s right foot Saturday night, fracturing a bone within. Pain shot up, and would stay with him for over a week till he made his
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Extend subsidised Zika testing to foreign workers
Our press release made it into the Straits Times 7 September 2016 (imaged above) — Statement for the media: Transient Workers Count Too urges the Ministry of Health to rethink the exclusion of subsidised testing
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Foreign workers hit badly by zika and dengue: better housing needed
One of the most striking facts coming out of the currently ongoing zika virus outbreak in Singapore is that the initial cases seemed to have been concentrated at one construction site in the Sims Drive
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Ayyan anxious and lost in his first hours after quitting
Not often do we get to interview a worker who has only walked out of his company the same day. Ranjana got this chance, and she takes us into his moment of anxiety and bewilderment.
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Bleeding badly from injured hand, Juyel ferried from doctor to doctor
By De Sheng Poh “So many pain, so many blood.” remarked Juyel as he recounted his harrowing experience immediately following a serious injury sustained in the line of work. Earning an average of $1,200 a
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Employer ordered to pay salaries, but MOM has no practical enforcement mechanism
By Saw Suhui Though armed with a set of court papers that ruled in their favour, Debnath Prantush and Islam Mohammed Shafiqul still could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, and
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Broken arm left untreated for almost 24 hours
By Natalie Choy An unsightly line stretches along Bangladeshi national Sujel’s left forearm. The 12-stitch surgical scar is large enough to be distracting. “Inside have long metal rod,”Broken he explains, as he gently presses on
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One in three foreign workers still not getting itemised payslips
Of over 500 Indian and Bangladeshi workers surveyed recently by Transient Workers Count Too, one in three reported that they were not getting itemised payslips from their employers. This represents quite a high degree of
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Hoping to go places, but stuck
By Kan Ren Jie Traffic jams are indeed a major source of irritation for many Singapore commuters. However, when I talk with two workers from Bangladesh, Pandit Rubel Chandra and Sofikul, they tell me that
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Ceiling worker wants out of his miserable job, but how?
By Nadia Irwanto Ask Singaporeans what they love and food is bound to come up. Singapore is known for its diversity of not just race and heritage, but also cuisine, and Singaporeans will brave any
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Happy National Day, Singapore
Video by Nicole Ng Sheikh Mizan found himself in a seriously disadvantaged position — his employer flatly told him he could expect no compensation for losing a finger at work. Yet in his story is
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Seeing Singapore on TV, Rashid set his heart on coming
By Rabin Kok “When I small boy, I watching Singapore on TV. That time I thinking, Singapore very nice place.” Rashid Harun Or is a well-built man with ruddy looks, scraggly long hair and a
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MOM’s groundless case takes two years out of Shahidulla’s life, part 1
By Seema Punwani Shahidulla Md Anser Ali knew the safety rules. The job needed four men so that there would be enough eyes to watch the delicate operation from multiple angles. He was assigned only
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MOM’s groundless case takes two years out of Shahidulla’s life, part 2
By Seema Punwani Continued from part 1. When truth wins, you hear drum rolls. You do mental cartwheels. Your faith in justice is restored. And you heave a sigh of relief that after all the
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MOM’s groundless case takes two years out of Shahidulla’s life, part 3
Continued from part 2. Soon after his acquittal on the first of three charges, Shahidulla got another shock. His key witness, crane operator Hassan, was called up by the case officer at the Ministry of
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Meherul barred from working while his employer stonewalls his injury claim
By Seema Punwani Workplace injuries are not uncommon. But while for many of us in office jobs it is restricted to the occasional paper cut or stubbed toe, for workers in the shipping ad construction field,
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Jahidul says manager took away all his medical documents
By Eugene Teo Islam Mohammad Jahidul was a machine operator at a marine company’s workshop. On 5 November 2015, Jahidul’s index finger suffered a deep cut while he was operating a metal cutting machine, sending
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Boss brazenly asked Hasan to pay for job
By Aruj Shukla It has long been a well-known fact that migrant workers in Singapore need to pay an exorbitant amount of money as agent fees to the middlemen based in their respective home countries.
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Monir says he liked the dorm where his company put him up, so we ask him to describe it
By Gek Han It doesn’t occur to me to ask Hussain Monir if his bed came with a mattress until a senior volunteer does (beds and mattresses go together, right?). Nothing, Monir says. Not quite
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Foreign domestic workers’ living conditions survey – full results
Transient Workers Count Too found that 5% of foreign domestic workers had to share their sleeping space with a male teenager or adult. This is against written law, with a possible fine of up
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Another source of trouble for workers: their own lawyers
In the above video, Rashid Harun explains why he discharged his lawyer. He had suffered a workplace injury and engaged a lawyer for his WICA compensation claim. His employer argued that the accident did not
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Father of two finds savings depleted in long wait for case resolution
By Li Zi Xin Hossain Billal, 33, has been without work and income for almost a year. He has a wife and two children to support. He may never fully recover from his workplace injury
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Govindarasu, though injured, says his employer did their best for him
By Vivek R “They tell me Singapore is very good,” says Muthusamy Govindarasu. “But cannot throw rubbish and must behave well. If not police fine you.” Govindarasu hails from a small town in Tamil Nadu,
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Arm in sling, denied medical treatment for a year
Video by Nicole Ng, text by Colin Ng The above video was produced in June 2016, sixteen months after Anowar suffered his injury. Throughout the months following the injury, Anowar did not get much-needed surgery
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“Boss say: if asking [salary], then you go back Bangladesh.”
By Anthony Chua When I first spot Barai Dipok at TWC2’s Dayspace, he is seated in front of a volunteer case helper, clutching some important looking documents and appearing visibly frustrated. As I approach to
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How we walked Muslem Motalb, with broken knee, home
Muslem Motalb will always remember Transient Workers Count Too fondly. “I [will] never forget TWC2,” he told us in the days before he went home. “Many people in TWC2 help me so much.” We’ll tell
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There are laws about salary payment and work permits, no?
By Kan Ren Jie For many Singaporean employees, it would be unthinkable for our employers to stop paying our monthly salaries. Many of us are accustomed (and excited!) to see our bank balance increase every
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Low wages a factor in injuries, deaths at work
There has been a series of news reports and opinion pieces about work safety in the light of the fact that in the first four months of 2016, there have been 28 workplace fatalities, six more
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Discovering that they’re boys again
“Never before, I touch a fighter jet,” said Dharmaraj, “and sit inside helicopter, pilot seat.” Meanwhile, Amin just beamed broadly, unable to say which moment was the most interesting for him. They went on Friday
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How dare you ask about injury compensation!
By Gek Han In sixteen years of working in Singapore, Islam Aminur has been diligent and careful, working without an accident. But luck turned against him in December 2015. A heavy, 20kg block of metal fell on
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Dorm operator fined $300,000 for having 10% more occupants than allowed
KT Mesdorm Pte Ltd, the operator of a purpose-built dormitory in the Boon Lay area was recently fined $300,000 for having more than the permitted number of workers living there. Mesdorm pleaded guilty to 30
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The Cuff Road Project: how many men? how many meals?
The Cuff Road Project[i] (TCRP) serves many purposes. For starters, it fills the bellies of a large number of men who aren’t permitted to work under the terms of their Special Pass, or because of
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Research series: Recruitment costs
The great majority of transnational migrant workers pay money in order to obtain jobs in other countries. The charges are often exorbitant. Most of the money goes to middlemen: agents in their own country or
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Delay in being given treatment complicates Arjunan’s recovery
“God’s grace is with me”, says Arjunan with a smile, as he awaits an arduous legal procedure for injury compensation By Ranjana Raghunathan Arjunan has worked in Singapore since 2008. After four years in a
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Monir falls from scaffolding into downsizing and debt
By Katia Barthelemy Things were going fine for Mia Monir, 25, from Bangladesh: he tells me he has been working for Kim Heng Marine for four years already with no major complaints from his side. But Monir’s
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Illegal employer dumps dying worker in back alley
The Straits Times reported from court that Muhammad Hidayat Abdul Rahman, 41, was sentenced to six months in jail for dumping Myo Min Aung, 28, in a back alley, after the latter fell from a height of
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Uddin Mohi worked eight months, not paid for six
By Eugene Teo Many migrant workers see working in Singapore as a breadwinning opportunity, but is it really? Uddin Mohi, 23, will probably tell you there are huge risks. Uddin worked at a painting and plastering
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Stop work orders for safety violation: Ensure workers don’t end up paying the price
On 13 May 2016, a report in the Straits Times said that “Companies found lacking in workplace safety and health standards will now face stiffer penalties, including a longer minimum period in which they have
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Forced repatriation can lead to death, needs to be addressed
Three recent posts here at this site demonstrate that employers continue to try to forcibly repatriate foreign workers, despite workers having unresolved salary claims or untreated injuries. This practice inflicts a great injustice on them. The
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Do I stay and press my case, or give up and go?
By Mark Lamb Thursday, 5 May 2016. “An emergency” whisks through the room where we’re convening to discuss communication plans for Transient Workers Count Too. My barometer perks up but it is no time for
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Over 80% of male foreign workers want to be paid through bank giro
Introduction In March 2016, Minister of State for Manpower Sam Tan told Parliament that the government was not prepared to make bank payment of foreign worker salaries mandatory. He gave a few reasons which the section
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Chicken pox: how TWC2 stopped it spreading
By Eugene Teo On the evening of 19 October 2015, Huq Md Mynul showed up at our free meals programme. He was running a fever and had all the signs of chicken pox over his
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Forced repatriation still taking place
Below are two screenshots of Facebook postings (7 April 2016) by Jolovan Wham, executive director of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME). What they clearly show is that the practice of forcibly repatriating migrant workers,
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$16,400 – The price of the Singapore dream
By Keani Vonge “Nine lakh fifty thousand,” is what Hassan Raqibul says when we at TWC2 ask him how much he paid for the job in Singapore. That converts to S$16,400. About half of Hassan’s
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Ahmmad’s life turned upside down after accident
By Lee Zi Xin “I have nothing to do every day”, says Ahmmad, as he speaks to me about the long wait for closure of his injury compensation claim. It’s been four months since the
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Kamal climbs out of window, 12 floors up, to get help
Kamal gingerly opened a window, hoping it wouldn’t make a noise. Heart pounding, he stepped out, trying not to look down. He was twelve floors up Block 601 Jurong West. With certain death should he
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TWC2 social work team invited by employer to give a talk to staff
Bright Vision Hospital requested Transient Workers Count Too to give a talk to the work permit holders on their payroll. As any model employer would, Bright Vision wanted their employees informed of their rights and
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Two years after accident, Lutfor Rahman still waiting for case conclusion
By Kan Ren Jie I ask Lutfor Rahman how he is, and I am struck by his frank answer: ‘I now very bad. Now no job, makan got problem.’ While Rahman initially appears cheerful when
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Four years after the accident, Abdus still waiting for injury compensation
By Shona Mac It is a busy Monday evening at Transient Workers Count Too’s Cuff Road Project and there is a throng of men queuing to receive a meal and milling around chatting to the
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Hand nearly severed, no ambulance, no paramedics called
By Jiang Haolie There was so much blood that even the bath towel wrapped around Mahbubul’s half-severed wrist was soaked. His ulnar vein was crudely ripped by a metal sheet as Mahbubul lost his footing and
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Bureaucrats close eyes, fold arms as worker’s salary slashed
Prabhu was unhappy about his boss’ tactics that reduced his earnings, and came to us in March 2016 seeking advice. For over a year, the construction company that employed him didn’t have enough work to
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Provide more public spaces for foreign workers within Little India – Debbie Fordyce
In response to member of parliament Denise Phua’s call on the government to fence off residents’ areas from foreign workers and do more to disperse them from Little India (see News Flash), TWC2 executive committee
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TWC2 makes submission regarding proposed Employment Claims Tribunal
In February 2016, the Ministry of Manpower invited public feedback on the proposed Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT). The call for feedback can be seen at this link on the Reach website. Key points in the
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Phantom job sucks Ali’s savings dry
By Gek Han On paper, Ali Noman, 40, was employed for about five months. His work permit was issued by construction company Sun Demolition Pte Ltd last July. In reality, Ali was given neither work
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PAP member of parliament characterises gatherings of foreign workers as ‘walking time-bombs’
Denise Phua, member of parliament (People’s Action Party, Jalan Besar) became alarmist when speaking in the chamber during the Committee of Supply debate, 6 April 2016. As reported in the Straits Times (7 April edition):
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Letter to Straits Times: Tweak policies to better help injured foreign workers
In a letter published in the Straits Times 31 March 2016, lawyer Dipa Swminathan (pic at right) put her finger on a process weakness that denies many injured workers of fair outcomes. The case she
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Pierced by steel rod, nineteen stitches, but not one ‘How are you doing?’
By Zoe Lin As Islam Rezaul turned on his mobile phone to show me photos of his injury, I couldn’t help but gasp in shock at the sight of them. There was a stab wound about the
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Three months so far in Singapore: two jobs in two months, one month without job
This case was first covered in the story Four workers allege employer made them pay for their jobs, MOM investigating. That was based on an interview in December 2015 soon after a group of men
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Worker says his employer wanted him to tell doctor, ‘I OK already’
By Saw Suhui Rana Masud met with an accident on the 19 May 2015. His left thumb was cut off and the hospital was not able to reattach it. They tried the first time, but
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Paid and paid for three jobs, only to end up injured and jobless
By Jas Kaur Abu Younus Mohammad is no novice to work in Singapore. So why is it that a man who has experience and in fact, skills, is sitting here with no job? Younus has
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$300 fine or prison for dropping a cigarette butt
Sep 2012 arrived Singapore Aug 2013 injured at work, 3 months MC Feb 2014 caught working illegally Apr 2015 received injury compensation of $4,000+ Feb 2016 issued $300 fine for dropping a cigarette butt A
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Four workers allege employer made them pay for their jobs, MOM investigating
By Ranjana Raghunathan At TWC2’s Cuff Road Project, a group of five workers, three Indian and two Bangladeshi, catch my attention. They seem to know each other, and have come to enroll themselves in
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Crime among foreign workers is lower than in general population, Home Affairs minister tells parliament
Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam told Parliament on March 2016 that foreign workers commit fewer crimes per capita than the resident Singapore population. Crime incidents within the foreign worker population are lower than that
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TWC2 hosts nearly 200 students in a single week in March
The second week of March 2016 was a busy week for TWC2 volunteers, as nearly 200 students from two schools came to us for a Day School programme. However, Day School is not just for
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26 stitches in his hand, 2 days medical leave
By Richard S Getting off at Farrer Park station, I pass railing after railing of discount clothes, sunglasses, and mobile phone accessories. This is an area catering to the migrant workers of southern India and
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Seeing rain clouds on a clear day
By Lucas Sim All through my hour with Masud (not his real name), I was expecting him to say something like ‘my boss don’t want me to see doctor’, or ‘my boss don’t want to
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Too many claims for minor injuries
Most of the men who appeal to TWC2 for assistance have lost their jobs and left the company dormitory after suffering a workplace injury and lodging a claim for injury compensation. The majority of them
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Only 50 complaints a year re unauthorised salary deductions. Really?
Extracted from the Hansard (Parliamentary reports), for the record: Parliamentary sitting of 29 February 2016: Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many complaints of unauthorised salary deductions have been registered
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Statistics on Dependant Passes
Extracted from the Hansard (Parliamentary reports) for the record: Parliamentary sitting of 29 February 2016. Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Minister for Manpower (a) from 2011 to 2015, what is the number of foreigners
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Sardar knocked down and fainted, yet not sent to doctor
By Zhan Nanxin When Alex touches Sardar Md Shamin’s shoulder, he flinches. The accident is several months ago, but should his injury be permanent, he will be unable to take up any heavy-duty job again,
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Lunch with Heart raises record amount for TWC2
Transient Workers Count Too held our annual benefit lunch (Lunch with Heart) Sunday 13 December 2015. We sold a record 335 tickets, raising over $33,000 — also a new record. Most well-wishers donated back their
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Clinic-shopping while Alam bleeds away
“Boss say I must not talking (tell others) how I accident,” Alam recounts of the first hours after his forearm was torn open. “He say I must explain like this: (that) I go canteen to
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Razibul goes from lots of work but no money, to no work no money
By Zhan Nanxin In his third month on the job, it was ‘Tomorrow…. Tomorrow’. Then it became ‘Next week’ and gradually escalated to ‘Next month’. It’s November now, and Islam Razibul has not received his pay
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Injured worker told he must show up at work, but “just standing only”
By Saw Suhui When I first spot Rahabul, he is standing at a corner of a coffee shop, using a flimsy piece of tissue paper to cover the wound on his hand as his friend
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“My friend [will] never walk again,” worker tells volunteer
“He crushed and crumpled the leaflet in his fist and threw it away,” said the young volunteer, visibly distressed by the rejection she had just encountered. “He said, ‘All this no use. My friend [will]
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MOM takes fewer than 10% of salary-non-payment employers to court
For the record, we place here the relevant part of the Parliamentary minutes from the sitting of Monday, 11 May 2015. Sanctions against employers who withhold wages for foreign employees Mr Hri Kumar Nair asked
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A Sri Lankan’s story – the blurry line between exploitation and trafficking
Transient Workers Count Too sees a relatively small number of Sri Lankans in the course of our work. There are far fewer of them in Singapore compared to Indians and Bangladeshis. Sri Lankans are an
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Land reclamation worker’s salary just $227 a month
By Jiang Haolie It is unthinkable to survive in Singapore earning just $227 a month, or $1.19 for every hour of backbreaking work. Bidut (not his real name), a reclamation worker is doing just that. For
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In a soft voice, a tale of $10,000
By Jas Talukder Joynal approaches me hesitantly, yet he does not strike me as a man of low self-esteem. Clad in a brightly coloured checkered shirt, with a good trendy fit, he definitely cares about his appearance.
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Even MOM thinks a broken arm deserves sick leave
By William Chin You might think that a broken arm with 2 pins inserted would warrant a medical certificate (MC). Not so if you are treated by a certain Dr Tan — TWC2 has her
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A Singapore company at the heart of fisherman trafficking — New York Times
The New York Times has an exposé on Step Up Marine, a manning agency operating out of Singapore’s Chinatown, and its network of recruiters in neighbouring countries. Young men are deceived and entrapped into horrendously
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The bicycle thief (who didn’t do it)
In the much acclaimed 1948 Italian movie of the same name, the protagonist searches for his stolen bike, the bike that he needs to keep his job to help his family escape from poverty in
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Qatar makes banked salaries mandatory, pulls ahead of Singapore
Qatar’s new regulations requiring employers to pay migrant workers via bank accounts will take effect in November 2015. This puts the country ahead of Singapore, where our Ministry of Manpower is not addressing a widespread weakness.
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“Please get going” — polite way for boss to tell worker he’ll be repatriated for getting medical leave
By Ranjana Raghunathan I ask Balasubramanian Mangaleswaran if he requested for medical treatment from his employer right after injuring his leg. He replies, “I asked them immediately, they just said that they would not pay
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Caretakers and domestic workers: Taiwan splits the job
TWC2 has recently learned from a migrant worker organisation in Taiwan that the regulations there make a clear distinction between a domestic worker and a caretaker. The job of domestic workers is to look after
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Call for proposals: Labour Court research project
TWC2 is seeking collaborators to help us undertake research on Singapore’s Labour Court system at the Ministry of Manpower, specifically procedures and practices relating to the salary and injury claims of migrant workers. Research will
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Lunch with Heart — TWC2’s annual benefit event is here again
Our annual benefit event — Lunch with Heart — will be held on Sunday 13 December 2015. Tickets are now available at$80 each. Even if you cannot make it, it would be great if you
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Operation and crutches without MC, MOM’s accident reporting system crippled
By Keith Wong At right is a picture of Pennada Balarama Murthy taken six weeks after the accident that injured his right ankle. He still cannot put weight on that foot. Any reasonable person would
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Who cares about the overtime rule? and other discoveries
By Fatima Ying I was given the opportunity to intern for TWC2 and the experience allowed me to interact with migrant workers, most of whom are Indian and Bangladeshi nationals. Through my conversations with them,
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Broken bone in foot but no surgical intervention
By Samantha Ege “This leg, very big already,” Ali tells me, gesturing towards his noticeably swollen foot. On 23 February 2015, Ali was working as he would normally do, at a shipyard. He was dressed
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Accident went unreported for 13 months, worker may not get compensation
Ramasamy Ayyasamy’s left hand is now virtually useless for work. Three fingers are stiff and there is still a metal splinter inside his ring finger. It’s not clear how he is going to continue earning an
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Adjusting to bureaucratic Singapore: “All must evidence. One thing wrong also cannot.”
By Kok Rabin Have you ever been annoyed when others spell your name wrongly? What if their mistake could cost you $16,000? Sitting in front of me at Alankar restaurant this hazy evening is Pandurangan
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Workplace injuries rise 2010 to 2014
With the 2014 statistics now out on the Ministry of Manpower’s website, a steady rise in workplace injuries can be seen through the five-year period 2010 to 2014. Here are the key numbers: These figures
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Singapore accedes to the UN Anti-Trafficking Protocol
Statement by Transient Workers Count Too On 28 September 2015, Singapore acceded to the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (UN TIP Protocol), often known as the
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Ankle broken, Nagarajan’s future bleak as a hired farm-hand
By Ranjana Raghunathan Adaikkalam Nagarajan, 32, was given a “special shoe” to wear for a month. “No other treatment! I was in pain for a month, even with painkillers. I was given light-duty for a
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TWC2 urges stop work orders when haze PSI crosses 200
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) is gravely concerned that current bad haze conditions will affect the health of workers in many trades, e.g. construction, marine, sanitation, landscaping. TWC2 strongly urges the government to impose a
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Failure to report accident complicates Harun’s access to treatment
By Hong Ying Harun Rashid Or has not had the treatment doctors recommended since his accident on 25 August 2015. While trying to understand why, the Ministry of Manpower’s own processes come into the picture. As
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Injured workers hit face-on with doctor and housing issues
Medical treatment and housing — two issues that workers, after an injury, find themselves grappling with. They shouldn’t have to, and it is troubling to any outside observer that soon after an injury, perhaps still in pain
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The ‘stupid boy’ with an ipad
By Elizabeth Zhou Sagor Mohammad and Abu Bakar (pictured above) are Bangladeshi nationals working as construction workers in Singapore. Not their first time here, both work permit holders are seasoned and familiar non-citizens[1] of Singapore
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The day an employer came to us for help
By Alex Au One afternoon late March 2015, an employer came to Transient Workers Count Too to see if we could help him. “He was almost in tears,” said my colleague Russell Heng who devoted more
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Surviving on borrowed money and three shirts
By Daniel Ling “Driver put all my baju (clothes) in bag, tell me, ‘Boss say, tomorrow go Bangladesh for two month. [If] you no go, boss work permit cutting’”. Hossen Murad, 26, was still recovering
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Accused of salary non payment, employer gets inventive. MOM sees through it
By Keith Wong Hossain feels vindicated. He came out of a meeting at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday with a ‘settlement paper’ signed by his employer in which is stated that he will be
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Shipyard work is not for dreams
By Joanna Korycinska $6,500 is the amount Hossain Jakir (above, right) paid upfront to secure a job in Singapore. It took him two and a half years to recover this ‘investment’ before he started earning
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Little India: a learning landscape
By Shona Loong It is a sunny Saturday morning, and I am having a coffee with Jamail—a 32-year old Bangladeshi migrant—in a kopitiam on Veerasamy Road. As we talk, I can sense the uncle at
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Can’t fault the employer, yet there is a trust deficit
When workers first approach TWC2 for help, an experienced volunteer would run through a checklist of questions with him. We do this because even though workers are quite able to describe the particular problem they
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Four men, picked at random, speak of low pay and hardship, part 2
Continued from Part 1: By Rabin Kok I am happy for Ishaq. However, Nitai Chandra Sarker, my next interviewee, reminds me that many workers are far less lucky. Nitai does not sport a smile –
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Four men, picked at random, speak of low pay and hardship, part 1
Rabin is a new volunteer doing his first interviews. At his first volunteering session, he was not expected to go for an in-depth story. Instead he was tasked to do quick interviews with a random
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Kickbacks are illegal, but how to eliminate them?
By Seema Punwani You must spend money to make money. Even Forbes magazine propagates this theory and it has probably inspired several entrepreneurs. A worker living across the Indian Ocean in Bangladesh who has limited formal education
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In one of the richest cities of the world, the wages of toil
By Joanna Korycinska $6,500 is the amount Hossain Jahir paid upfront to secure a job in Singapore. It took him two and a half years to earn this amount back. Only then did his family
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Sivam’s saints
On the evening of Thursday, 2 July 2015, Subbaiah Ramasivam flew home to Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, a very happy man. He was still slapping himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming it all. In his
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TWC2 opens Day Space — to rest, learn, serve and grow
As the organisation grows, having adequate space is always a challenge. In June 2015, an opportunity came up: the space above one of the restaurants where we serve our free meals under the Cuff Road
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Marine workers earn less than working at McDonald’s
By William Chin I was told that working in the marine industry is a lucrative segment, which pays higher than an average job. Economics 101 teaches that jobs that are dangerous would pay more than
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Cleaners found living in bin centres
The Straits Times carried a feature report 18 July 2015 about Bangladeshi estate cleaners living in trash collection centres, commonly referred to as ‘bin centres’. Reporters visited eight such places across the island. The news
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Elayaraja’s hopeful beginning… and bitter end
By Ranjana Raghunathan “Oh you share your name with the wonderful Tamil music director,” I try to break the ice as he nods, unimpressed at my remark. Elayaraja is from Killaipichavaram, a village near Chidambaram
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Little India: a surveillance landscape
By Shona Loong Sandir’s story Standing together in Lembu Park Open Space (the ‘Minimart’), 32-year old Sandir points to a spot on the ground and reminisces. In 2008, on the first of three migration trips
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Injured worker needs money for treatment, employer turns hostile
By Lim Shaomin “See the doctor yourself, after that money give you” is the phrase most dreaded by foreign workers. The statement is duplicitous in its simplicity; settling injury claims are never as straightforward as they
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MOM gives excuse that workers can always request for wages through bank
Following TWC2’s letter in the Straits Times Forum, 17 June 2015, Ensure pay is banked, offer mobility, the Ministry of Manpower’s response was published on 23 June 2015 Electronic payments mandatory upon foreign workers’ request
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Case study: Two injured workers stuck for two years
A noticeable number of workers who have been injured at work lose over two years of their lives waiting for resolution of their cases. Typically, their medical treatment is largely over within months, but the
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Throwing sawdust at doctor’s advice
By Samantha Ege On 14 November 2014, Sarker Babu Sukanto should have been preparing to spend the night in hospital. Moments earlier, he had suffered a fall while at a working site in Kallang. The accident
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“Cannot sleep… I remember my wife’s crying.”
By Kimberley Cham Four days. That is how long Humaun has before he goes back to Bangladesh. Back to his family, his wife, 9-month old son Tanjime, father, mother and 22-year old brother. Yet when
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Section 22B of EFMA: a deficient law
The story “Cannot sleep…. I remember my wife’s crying” described the injustice done to Bangladeshi worker Humaun. He came to Singapore for a promised job only to be told there was none for him. The
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Kuwait revamps recruitment companies for domestic workers, raises workers’ rights
Kuwait’s legislature passed two new laws recently to improve the conditions of domestic workers. One of the laws sets up a new type of company for recruiting domestic workers to replace the private companies that currently
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Little India: a community landscape
By Shona Loong It is 7.30pm on a Sunday evening, and I am making my way through the heart of Little India. Although this route is familiar to me, everything looks different. Streets that are
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Akbar knocked out, but that’s only round one
Akbar is at risk of being cheated thousands of dollars. This story is going to explain how the conditions for this possible outrage has been laid. 6:30 pm, 26 March 2015. He blacks out. Construction
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Quibbling about $20, checking every pocket
By Lee Min-wei In the wee hours of 3 June 2015, Juvy, a petite and soft-spoken Filipina domestic worker, mustered the courage to flee from her employer’s apartment. Leaving behind most of her belongings in
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Caught spitting and a life may be ruined
Have you ever seen anyone spit in public? Have you ever done it yourself? That’s what I thought: most of you have seen people spit and some of you have done it yourself. It’s more
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Wage protection system in UAE and Qatar
Our letter published in the Straits Times Forum on 17 June 2015 mentioned that countries in the Middle East have made it mandatory to pay workers’ salaries through bank transfers when Singapore has not. This
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Ensure pay is banked, offer (job) mobility
Published in the Straits Times Forum, 17 June 2015: — FOREIGN WORKERS’ WAGE WOES Ensure pay is banked, offer mobility Sunday’s report (“More foreign workers seek help over wage woes”) mentioned that the Ministry of
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MOM to require salary slips from 2016?
Buried within a news story in the Sunday Times (More foreign workers seek help over wage woes, 14 June 2015) was this sentence: Next year, employers must issue itemised payslips and provide written key employment
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TWC2 celebrates International Domestic Workers’ Day
The ballroom at the Fort Canning Lodge was filled with excitement as 150 domestic workers filed in to take their seats around the fifteen big round dining tables. The workers wasted no time and started
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TWC2 submits UPR shadow report to UN Human Rights
Once in four years, each member state of the United Nations is subject to peer review with respect to its human rights record. The Singapore government will appear before this process, known as Universal Periodic
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Straits Times: Workers lose savings in fire at dorm
A fire destroyed a workers’ dormitory in Choa Chu Kang on Thursday 11 June 2015. This was reported in the Straits Times the day after. The fire was extinguished within an hour, but three firefighters
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Outreach to workers, June 2015
TWC2’s monthly outreach took place on 14 June 2015 at Boon Lay. Two social workers, three interns and eight volunteers participated. Led by social worker Louis Ong, they fanned out to distribute TWC2 flyers and
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Today newspaper reports on our ‘day off’ findings
Today newspaper devoted a full page to our newly-released research report on weekly day off for domestic workers. Of the 195 respondents surveyed by the non-governmental organisation from July 2013 to October last year, only
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Employer fails to pay, worker goes to jail
By Alexandra Galvez “I don’t want to go to jail. I cannot come back to Singapore to work if I go to jail. I like Singapore and I want to continue working here. I need
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The Right to Rest: The effectiveness of the ‘day off’ legislation for foreign domestic workers
Government legislation has helped improve foreign domestic workers’ access to compensation in lieu of a day off, but 59% of foreign domestic workers in Singapore still do not get a weekly day off. To mark
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Kibria asks for his overdue salary, immediately sacked
By Chang Ya Lan At eight in the morning, Md Golam Kibria Rokon Uddin Molla would already have arrived at the construction site, dressed in his construction attire, ready for a hard day’s work. The company
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Domestic worker loses 20 kg in five months of hell
By Polly Perdereau “I WANT, I WANT!” These were Supinah’s defiant words to her husband when he objected to her going back to Singapore to work. She had stayed put in Java, Indonesia, for two years
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Right to salary invalidated by lack of information, costly repercussions from complaining
By Samantha Ege Information is what opens the door to knowing our rights, exploring our options and making conscious decisions. Yet, information is something that we do not always have. In the absence of information,
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Kickback intermediaries return “agent money” in a hurry
Early indications were encouraging. Maybe it’s a sign that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is at last taking kickback complaints seriously. But at the time of the interview, it’s too early to say how this
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Direct Services Report for 2014
2014 marked Transient Workers Count Too’s tenth year. It was also a year in which the number of meals served at The Cuff Road Project (our food programme for destitute migrant workers) since its launch in
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Worker asks an inconvenient question, finds himself out of a job
By William Chin The laws are there and the processes are supposed to be in place to help employees who have been injured at work. Saiful’s story however, gives a glimpse of the hoops that
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Just passing through
By Kellynn Wee and Marusa Godina The Singapore passport is powerful. According to the international 2014 Visa Restrictions Index, this neat crimson document offers Singaporeans visa-free travel to 167 out of 219 countries in the
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More than 5,000 submitted forged certificates between 2012 and 2014
In a blogpost, Manpower minister Lim Swee Say said “Between 2012 and 2014, more than 5,000 foreigners were barred from working in Singapore for life, for submitting forged academic certificates to obtain work passes. “
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Did the police even know they were visiting a private prison?
By Sabrina Tay Cowering in severe pain, Shafiqul lay on the floor of his cell and dialled ‘999’. The police and the ambulance arrived shortly. At the same time, the doors to Shafiqul’s cell unlocked
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Retiree guilty of hitting, pouring bleach on maid
Lum Wai Lui, 74, pleaded guilty to two charges on 13 May 2015 of abusing a domestic worker in the family home. She had slapped and poured bleach on Filipina Jonna Memeje Muegue, 25, as
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Bangladeshi construction worker fined $40,000; acted as unlicensed employment agent
For a payment of $3,000, Ahmead Rubel, 28, found a job for fellow Bangladeshi, Jabed, to work as a construction worker in Nanjing Minglu Construction Engineering Co. Ltd. For conducting employment agency activities without a
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No pay unless you work, go back to India if you don’t — worker with arm in cast is told
By Ranjana Raghunathan Vadivelan asks me nervously, “Can I trust these [TWC2 volunteers] people? They asked if I was willing to tell you my story, and I just shared everything with you. But I do
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49 employers “prosecuted for severe breaches” in 2014 over salary non-payment
In response to a question by Member of Parliament Hri Kumar (PAP Bishan), the Minister for Manpower, Lim Swee Say, provided an oral answer in Parliament on 11 May 2015: The Employment Act (EA) protects
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To solve salary non-payments, underlying factors must be addressed too
Transient Workers Count Too is glad to hear that the Ministry of Manpower has stepped up enforcement of the Employment Act with respect to delayed or non-payment of salaries. Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister for
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Poor deals over meals: uncovering regulatory, attitudinal and social shortcomings
By Alex Au The above photo was taken around 11:30 am at a void deck below a block of flats. It shows packets of lunch on a broken chair. There were roadworks going on nearby
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Wages low, partly unpaid, now Sabuj must pay for medical treatment too
By Polly Perdereau “Working very good, accident no good”. This, in his own words, is Sabuj’s sad realisation about life after an injury. Sikder Sabuj started working in Singapore three years ago. He is from
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He can’t see clearly through his injured eye, must he go back to work?
By Sabrina Tay Amid the buzz of TWC2’s free meals programme, Kamrol Sarker lays out his documents asking what they mean. There are papers showing medical leave and his work injury claim. TWC2 treasurer Alex
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100 women who care about TWC2
By Russell Heng On an afternoon in March 2015, Vanessa Hardinge spoke passionately to a room of colleagues and friends about how tough life can be for many foreign workers in Singapore. At the end
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Worker offers to pay for own medication, yet employer refuses assistance
By Lim Shaomin “Four days how to tahan?” says Selim, using a local colloquialism meaning ‘withstand’. “Hospital follow boss instructions.” I am speaking to Selim Mahmud Babu regarding his most recent injury — several broken
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Students who developed TWC2 case management system bag two awards
The student team which developed the new case management system for Transient Workers Count Too won two awards at their school’s IS480 Poster Day on 22 April 2015. Team Creovate (shown above with their faculty
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igiveadayoff.org
What may help the bonding with your child is also a fundamental worker’s right: a weekly day off | Watch the video at http://Igiveadayoff.org | Read TWC2’s press release (next item below)
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TWC2 partners with Ogilvy & Mather to call on employers to give domestic workers their due day off
Press Release 23 April 2015 In the run up to International Workers’ Day, or Labour Day, on May 1, TWC2 has partnered with Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) to launch a campaign urging employers to
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Kickbacks in the news: MWC urges workers to complain; reader retorts: “unlikely to work”
In the wake of the sentencing of a construction company boss for demanding kickbacks from his employees (see news story in Today newspaper, thumbnail at right), the Straits Times had a story about his unsavoury
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Letter to Straits Times: Lower debt, raise job security
Following the deaths of two Bangladeshi workers in a fire , and a commentary article by Straits Times journalist Toh Yong Chuan (7 April 2015), TWC2 president Noorashikin Abdul Rahman wrote to the editor to
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BBC features a 17,000-man dormitory
Headlined Singapore is keeping an eye on its foreign workers, the BBC did a report (14 April 2015) on Tuas View Dormitory, said to be the largest in Singapore, housing 17,000 migrant workers. While showcasing
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Whose interests should doctors look out for?
By Sabrina Tay He held his index finger out next to mine and the difference was stark. Rubel’s finger was deformed, the nail shorter than what it should have been and the flesh at his
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Safety goes into dumpster along with workers’ rights
By William Chin The boss wasn’t happy to see his employee presenting a medical leave certificate. “Why you go see doctor? No (limb) drop off, no broken,” was his reaction. As Humayun Mohammad Enu tells
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Guess what’s under the bra
By Maya Nguyen Three of us from TWC2 were in a ward of a major hospital. The hospital’s medical social worker had asked us to come speak with a domestic worker who had been warded;
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Medical Council hauls 2 doctors to disciplinary tribunal
Jolovan Wham, Executive Director of fellow migrant-worker NGO, the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) posted on his Facebook page the news that the Singapore Medical Council is holding a disciplinary tribunal over two doctors.
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A dormitory is not a home: a place of threat, not security
By Chang Ya Lan Even in good health, a migrant worker does not enjoy the pleasure of a home in Singapore. Dormitory space is far from equivalent to what we take for granted: a place
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Worker wants to see his ill mother, boss says he doesn’t care if worker dies too
By Keith Wong Some workers need to hold on to their jobs to support their families, but lose them anyway through no fault of their own. Sikder Gopal needs to quit his job, to go
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In the news: bad food served to workers
“Foul-smelling curry, rock-solid fish with scales still intact…” — this was how Today newspaper opened its story (titled “Foreign workers served ‘unappetising, stale food'”, 19 March 2015) on the poor quality of food that foreign
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Work Injury Compensation framework fails smell test
By Sam Myat San I have always taken my sense of smell for granted. I used to imagine that losing one’s sight or hearing would be debilitating but that the olfactory sense was dispensable. That
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Wide and wider our circle expands
By Russell Heng A line from an old song I know underlines TWC2’s experience when staff at Barclays, Singapore raised $25,670 for us in 2 hours of one afternoon. It goes, “Wider and wider our
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Five days of injury cancels out five years of loyalty
By Lindene Cleary Shabul came to Singapore in 2009 to work for a marine company. During those five years he has dedicated himself to working hard to support himself and his family back home in
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Acting on a tip-off, TWC2 rescues a maid trapped over two years without a day off, part 2
The Ministry of Manpower has accused TWC2 of publishing a “grossly untruthful account” relating to Indonesian domestic worker Wahyuni (see our earlier article here). This quote was contained in a story published in The New
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Catch the victim, never mind the syndicate
It was Sadhin who first saw her. She was crying, lost in a foreign country, knowing nobody. All she knew was that her tourist visa was about to expire and she would soon be an
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New case management software comes on stream
The first week of March opened with many fingers crossed. Transient Workers Count Too’s new Case Management System (Camans) was going live. The new application would rev up in stages, and this was to be
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Foreman to worker: Medical care only if you say injury wasn’t work-related
By Samantha Ege His name is Shohag, a young graduate from Bangladesh with a Bachelor of Business Studies. He sits opposite me and spreads three cards on the table between us. ‘Building Construction Supervisor’, ‘Work-at-Height’,
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Employer reunites family for the holidays
By Jacintha Gopal Amy (not her real name) hadn’t been home for Christmas for seven years. The mother of two boys, aged 13 and 10 years, is a domestic worker from the Philippines working for
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88 percent of our 2014 spending was on charitable activities
In 2014, about 88 percent of TWC2’s spending went towards charitable activities, benefitting our clients in a relatively direct way. Total expenditure in the year was $463,025, leaving us with a surplus of $108,203 from
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Asking for medical treatment, losing job
By Maya Nguyen Sixteen days after an accident, Sahajahan, 28, went to a lawyer to seek help with his case. He was then sent to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) where he was told his
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Acting on a tip-off, TWC2 rescues a maid trapped over two years without a day off
Late November 2014, an email came from the blogsite TR Emeritus about an Indonesian domestic worker who was not allowed to leave her employer’s house for two years. The email sender said “hope you guys
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Korea’s regulatory system for migrant workers offers many features worth emulating
When an employer in South Korea needs to fill a position with a foreign worker, he has to apply to the central government’s Job Center. This state body will provide the employer with three shortlisted
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“Locking into container never happened,” says employer
Express Point Engineering Pte Ltd took exception to our article published on 17 December 2014, titled ‘Injured Hossian hidden away in locked container’. The employer asserted that this was untrue, though this was possibly later
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With good employer, Vijay may soon have another mouth to feed
Once in a while, we come across a worker who tells us that he is treated well by his employer. Vijay is one of them. He has asked us not to use his real name
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Container accommodation, but for toilet, must go very far
By Keith Wong “For toilet, must go very far,” is how Syful Md Siddiqur Rahman puts it. “How far is far?” I ask. “Go into the jungle?” “No jungle there,” he explains. “Go other corner
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With each job here, Saide gets poorer
By Lindene Cleary His first job didn’t even last a year, losing out on unpaid salaries. His second job lasted barely a week, with him having to foot hospital bills. His personal finances are awash
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Deeply in debt, Musfiqur stays cheerful
By Ashley Frois We’re barely under the eaves. Rain, like troubles, pours down mere inches from our seats. Everything is damp. Two seats away and drier, a fellow volunteer is interviewing another construction worker, Rahman
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Months after initial complaints to ministry, housing and salary abuses still surfacing
We didn’t at first plan to write up their story because it was a story we’ve heard countless times before — not that their plight was any less distressful for them. The men from Harri
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Careful spitting merits fine
“You did Spit onto a Public Place (Drain)” — this was the awkward and legalistic way Imran’s Notice to Attend Court described his offence. How was he to know that spitting in a drain by
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The death loan
By Seema Punwani “I cannot go back! If I go back I die. I die”. Rahman keeps repeating in his broken English. His friend who is kindly acting as a translator tries to calm him
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Genius Engineering, part 3: nearly 100 skilled electricians lost
Four months after employees of Genius Engineering and related companies lodged salary complaints with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Mouazzam Hossin (pictured above) is still in Singapore, struggling to get something out of what he
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Stranded in Batam, agent denies responsibility
By Meera Rajah Yati (not her real name) was promised that she would only have to wait in Batam for a week, before returning to Singapore to work with a new employer. The week became
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Feroz the accountant
By Walter Wadiak As I sit down to do my first interview with a migrant worker, I’m looking for problems. Perhaps a story about an uncompensated injury — I have already seen plenty of these
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Injured Hossian hidden away in locked container
By Fuxiong In the minutes following his three-metre fall, with his right shin and back in pain, Hossian Ramzan was carried by two “tamil man” on the instructions of a company supervisor to a shipping
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John Gee in Straits Times: A win-win way to help injured foreign workers
This is the opinion piece by John Gee of Transient Workers Count Too, published in the Straits Times, 3 December 2014. —- A win-win way to help injured foreign workers The Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
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Foreign worker saves cat
Once in a while an anonymous Singaporean posts something nice about migrant workers. Here, a little tale that first appeared on Singapore Stomp: This is the link to the original.
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No pay for 2 years, slapped for saying hello to a fellow worker
By Lauri When she came down to meet us for the first time, “she had only a small bag containing her documents,” Karno recalls. “She didn’t even have her clothes and things.” TWC2 social worker
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Chodawre looking at maybe a year more of enforced unemployment
It is still October 2014. Chodawre Badal doesn’t say much, but just shows your writer a letter from the National University Hospital (NUH) giving him an assessment date for 8 May 2015, seven months away.
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Hive of activity as TWC2 crosses into second decade
In a triple celebration 7 December 2014, TWC2 marked its tenth anniversary and International Migrants Day with a benefit event Lunch with Heart. Under the glass dome of Kebabs and Curries atop Mustafa Centre, TWC2’s
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Four dead in shophouse dorm fire
Four people died in a relatively small fire that broke out in a shophouse used as a dormitory for workers from China, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia. The fire was reported at about 1:40am on Saturday,
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In lawyers they trust, until…
By Keith Wong “He do nothing,” says Tariqul of his lawyer. Tariqul’s medical assessment was “more than three months” ago, and he’s been waiting to hear how many “points” (a measure of permanent disability) has
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Allow injured workers waiting for compensation to work, e.g. in services sector
Here’s is an op-ed by TWC2’s John Gee that was published in the Straits Times on Wednesday 3 December 2014: A win-win way to help injured foreign workers By John Gee. Straits Times, 3 December
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Over the years, migrant workers have faced ‘deteriorating conditions’ — John Gee
At a symposium organised by the Asia Research Institute, TWC2 head of research John Gee said that whilst globally, there had never been better protection in law for migrants’ rights, yet in many respects, their actual
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Contractor folds, 220 workers likely to lose out on salaries
By Eitan After a year of volunteering, I can now spot a new guy at our soup kitchen with little difficulty. Unlike the ‘regulars’ who know the drill — present a meal card, sign into
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Blue Diamond director gets the blues: why can’t service sector staff come from India?
Singapore brings in hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from India and Bangladesh for the construction and marine industries. We also have large numbers of technical and professional immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. They need
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New restrictions on conversions of industrial buildings into dorms
A mere two days after the Straits Times featured with some praise two workers’ dormitories converted from industrial premises (see Dorms converted from industrial premises said to be ‘adequate’), the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) banned
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A visit to a skills training centre in Bangladesh
A visit to the Asea Trading International Singapore Skills Centre in Tangail District of Bangladesh began with a conversation with the managing director Mr. Md Anisur Rahman. He proudly boasted that his centre hosts about
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MOM wants worker to pay back $21,000
The process of work injury compensation goes like this: When a course of treatment is completed, the injured worker is assessed by doctors for any residual permanent incapacity. If there is, an interim Notice of
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Which caused Rashed more suffering: the accident or the lawyer?
TWC2 volunteer Meera Rajah assisted a worker as he struggled to sort out his injury case after having things messed up by a law firm. This is Meera’s detailed account of how the mess came
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Convert levy into workers’ deferred savings, suggests Ho Kwon Ping
In a lecture delivered at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore, on 12 November 2014, Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and IPS-Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore,
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With injured knee, Uzzal crawls under barbed wire to escape company ‘jail’
By Seema Punwani Uzzal’s world stopped on 28 Oct 2013. It was the day he found himself locked in a room, alone, injured and his documents taken away from him. What could he, a foreign
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Dorms converted from industrial premises said to be ‘adequate’
The Straits Times reported 12 Nov 2014 that the Ministry of Manpower found “adequate conditions” in two workers’ dormitories they recently inspected. These two were converted from industrial premises located in the Joo Koon area.
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Exercise using foreign workers as ‘rioters’ exact opposite of sensitivity training
The Facebook post by Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan 11 November 2014 (click thumbnail at right) titled ‘Joint exercise with Police, SCDF & foreign worker ambassadors’ accompanied by eight photographs does a great
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Condition for getting treatment? Don’t tell doctor it was a work accident
By Stéphanie Psarski It is sad, how some humans can treat other humans. On 26 July 2014, construction worker Hossan slipped on oil and landed heavily on his back. The company doctor gave him Panadol
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What plagues the migrant worker
This paper by Meera Rajah, a young volunteer helping out with case documentation and follow-up, provides a good summary of the issues that migrant workers commonly face. It is however, not just a descriptive summary,
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Bhuiyan and friends defeated
This is a four-part story about four workers whose employer’s behaviour appears to have crossed a few red lines relating to trafficking in persons. Five months after Monir Bhuiyan and three others lodged their salary
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Bhuiyan and friends defeated, part 2
Continued from Part 1. This second part of the JS Metal saga shows up defects in the Ministry of Manpower’s processes. From the many cases that TWC2 has seen, it appears that these defects spring
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Bhuiyan and friends defeated, part 3
Continued from part 2. Part 1 narrated what happened when Monir Bhuiyan, Titu, Mahi Uddin and Shahjahan came to Singapore for their jobs at JS Metal Pte Ltd. They had each been offered $550 a
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Bhuiyan and friends defeated, part 4
Continued from part 3. TWC2 stayed in contact off and on with the four men from JS Metal Pte Ltd through the months following the lodging of their claims at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
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Singapore second most popular destination for Bangladeshi workers in 2013
TWC2 has received two research reports from the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit which is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They make for sober reading. In one of them, titled Labour migration from Bangladesh 2013
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Construction workers will be able to switch to new jobs at end of work permit period
Buried within an announcement about a new minimum percentage of higher-skilled workers in construction firms, the Ministry of Manpower also announced that work permit construction workers will be able to move to new jobs at
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Forced to sign blank salary vouchers as soon as they take up their jobs
By Ashley Frois Salary disputes and unpaid wages are, unfortunately, common issues plaguing our foreign workers, but Shoriful Islam’s case stands out in particular. He and his colleagues are seasoned workers in Singapore, but on
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The more we talked the more we discovered
By Jennifer Parenteau Mohamed Ariful sits down beside me and begins to tell me his story. At first it seems like a simple case of improper calculation of his medical leave wages, but as we
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How the migrant worker system is regulated counts for a lot
This is the talk TWC2 vice-president Alex Au gave at the National University of Singapore to a large class (about 300 – 400) of students from various faculties on 15 October 2014. The text here
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Big hole in ground dug with big hole in worker’s pay
Yeusof (not his real name) knew there was something wrong with his monthly pay slip from Hyundai Engineering & Construction when he showed up for breakfast at TWC2’s Cuff Road Project one morning in September
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Worker with infectious disease had treatment aborted
In theory, employers are required by law to provide medical treatment for work permit holders they bring into Singapore. In practice, the more unscrupulous employers will try to get the employee out of Singapore before
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Are workers’ troubles due to ignorance or to harsh realities that leave them vulnerable?
By Elizabeth Zhou The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recently printed colourful flyers in four languages – English, Chinese, Bengali and Tamil. Meant to reassure and educate the migrant worker community of the procedures and processes
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Company insists Aktar see a doctor he has no faith in
By Isabel Chew Aktaruzzaman is intent on telling me his story. His cellphone rings a number of times during our interview but he rejects them because it is more important that people hear his story.
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MOM orders company to pay MC wages, a month on, worker still waiting
By Jennifer Parenteau As an employer, you are responsible for medical leave wages and medical expenses of your worker injured at work, even if they have been dismissed. When you read this quote from a
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No salary, no day off for 20 months, part 2
By Nissa Mai Continued from Part 1. I have a lot of other questions for Surya [1]. How did such an empowered, decisive young woman get trapped in a clearly illegal and exploitative situation for
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No salary, no day off for 20 months, part 1
By Nissa Mai “I will kill you ah!” She very angry, angry. She smack me four times. I say, “I’m a human, I’m sorry!” [Then], Amah show me the big knife. She say, “[If] you
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Injured worker taken on grand tour of Singapore
Rahman Md Jaminur found himself at the bottom of a drain, severe pain shooting from his right ankle. His back also hurt. Fortunately, his phone was within reach and he called his friend. Help, I fell.
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980,000 work permit holders as at June 2014
New data released by the Ministry of Manpower (source) show increases across all categories of foreign work passes during the first six months of 2014. The data period has also changed; where MOM used to
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Low salary, no overtime and injured, but they like Singapore
By Meera Rajah “Why Singapore?” – Ishwar Singh and Pardeep Kumar appear slightly perplexed as to how to answer this direct question, somewhat aware of the vague implications surrounding it. Ishwar (above, right) has now
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Singaporean ship manning agent accused in Filipino court of trafficking in persons
A former director of a ship manning agency has been charged in a Filipino court with human trafficking and illegal recruitment, the Sunday Times reported on 21 September 2014. However, he appears to be still
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Pay slips crucial for injury compensation too
By Fuxiong Many stories on this website have documented the difficulties workers face in the period following a work accident. Denial of medical treatment, efforts by employers to repatriate them against their will, or attempts
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Help TWC2 by buying tickets for Lunch With Heart 2014
Lunch With Heart is here again! Remember this annual fundraising event of good food, fun show and exciting games! Please buy tickets and help TWC2 do better than the $25,000 raised last year. Here is
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Arm left with ‘no power’, but offered only a tiny compensation
By Keith Wong “Twenty months,” says Kabil Monul (not his real name). That’s how long it has been since an industrial accident caused a dislocation of his left shoulder. Only today (in August 2014) has
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Lifting supervisor dropped by company after he took a stand
By Fuxiong The banana was meant to be eaten, but in telling me his story, Shamsuddoha was waving it and hitting the table with it. It was soon bruised. He was too agitated to eat,
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Overhauling Singapore’s migrant labour system – an alternative plan
By Alex Au Many stories on the website of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) tell of the abuses inflicted on migrant workers in Singapore. TWC2 holds the view that the regulatory system governing the recruitment
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Myanmar imposes temporary ban on maids to Singapore
In a move with little warning, the government of Myanmar (Burma) has imposed a five-month ban on its citizens coming to Singapore for domestic work. This was reported in the Straits Times (13 September 2014).
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Through Singapore employer, lured to Cambodia with fake job offer
By Nissa Mai The flight from Singapore to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, wasn’t long — just under two hours — but for Margarette, the journey represented a whole new beginning, a fresh take on life. After
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MOM’s ‘rebuttal’ actually lends support to many points we made
By TWC2 vice-president Alex Au On Friday 29 August 2014, the Ministry of Manpower said that my letter published in the Straits Times forum 25 August 2014 (Salary non-payment a big issue for migrant workers)
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From sharks to ice-cream via peace, love and sponsorship
By TK “Wow…… surprise. Very nice place. We will enjoy the place very much,” exclaimed Amir Khan, when he heard that Discover Singapore would be organizing an outing to Sentosa S.E.A. aquarium. Since the launch
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About 70,000 workers live on construction sites
Manpower minister Tan Chuan-jin told parliament through a written reply that about 70,000 workers (presumably male construction workers) live in temporary housing located at construction sites. Most foreign workers live in purpose-built dormitories but around
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26 to 40 percent of male workers suffer illegal ‘savings money’ deduction
A new survey of nearly three hundred male migrant workers found that 26 to 40 percent of them suffered a pay deduction commonly known as ‘savings money’ — roughly one in three workers. The deduction
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Your condition is serious, you must go to hospital, says polyclinic. “I no money,” says Kamal
By Stéphanie Psarski This testimony is a very good and heart warming example of how, to workers, Transient Workers Count Too makes a difference even in the tiniest thing. Injured on his back in July
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Lebanese court rules that employer must return domestic worker’s passport
With permission from The Legal Agenda, TWC2 is pleased to reproduce an article from their English website discussing an important court ruling, recently announced in Beirut, Lebanon. The ruling discusses major issues: challenging the widespread practice
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Genius Engineering, part 2: Latif’s opinion of Singapore takes a dive
By Isabel Chew “Before I always think Singaporean very good but today I see I cannot take it lah. Because salary don’t give.” As I wrap up my interview with Latif, the morose Bangladeshi worker
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Genius Engineering, part 1: the first group comes to TWC2
A large group of workers from Genius Engineering approached TWC2 for help over salary non-payment. Volunteer Meera Rajah meets two of them. By Meera Rajah “Next week… next week… wait”, Rafiqul and Hossain are now
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After an eight-month slog through the Labour Court, Durai wins back his overtime pay
Veluchamy Duraisamy is a happy worker. On or around 4 August 2014, he (more or less) won his case at the Labour Court. He is extremely grateful to TWC2. It might have turned out very
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The challenge of labour trafficking
On 27 August 2014, The Straits Times published an opinion article by John Gee, immediate past president of TWC2, which the paper titled ‘Ensuring better protection for migrant workers’. Here, John has revised the article
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Foreign workers riot in Malaysia over medical care, salaries and mistreatment
Alleged mistreatment by employers have led to riots in Malaysia by foreign workers, various news sources are reporting. Most serious was what happened on Tuesday night (26 August 2014) in the Malaysian state of Johor.
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Maid climbed out on 36th floor after abuse
Tay Li Nah, 39, an employer of a domestic worker, was sentenced to four weeks’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to kicking Saedatun Fandilah repeatedly on her buttocks, thighs and abdomen at about 12.30am on 5 Feb 2013.
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Zahir mistakenly happy to have received his ‘MC money’
By Lucas Ho Just as Zahir is getting to the part about MC money halfway through the interview, TWC2 vice-president Alex Au walks by. He overhears Zahir mention a few numbers — numbers which don’t
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Shahadat’s safety sacrificed at the altar of profit
By Meera Rajah Shahadat Hosain, like many other migrant workers from Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Thailand and the Philippines, took a job with a subcontractor of Keppel Shipyard in hope of creating a better life. He
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Cost implications of government policies crucial to question of foreign worker accommodation
The Straits Times recently carried a story about foreign worker accommodation. Unfortunately, it didn’t get to the heart of the matter: the way government policies affect cost and affordability considerations. The newspaper’s 19 August 2014
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In three months: Three scams and one hantam
With additional reporting by Mohd Ridhwan Saju kept reminding his boss for the rest of his May 2014 salary. He had received only $300 compared to something over $1,000 he considered was rightly due. He
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They’re going on holiday together
By Keith Wong I asked four friends when we were having a Friday night out whether they’d prefer to use a moving company that employed Bangladeshi workers or one that employed ex-convicts. There was no
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Roof and rail for injured workers
Tuesday, 29 July 2014, a delegation from the Indian Women’s Association presented TWC2 with a donation of $4,000. Above, IWA president Pui Lahiri (second from right) presents the cheque to TWC2 president Russell Heng. Other
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Saudi versus Singapore: Different spaces, different lives
By Danielle Hong Mohammed Gafur is here at the TWC2 office with a friend to deal with his injury compensation. He has kept all his bills and time cards, a practice of storing evidence learnt
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After eight loyal years, fired when he fell ill, part 2
With additional reporting by Debbie Fordyce Part 1 described how Mollah Jahangir lost his job as soon as he asked his employer to pay for medical treatment. This, even though he had loyally worked for
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After eight loyal years, fired when he fell ill, part 1
“So many years, I not sick,” says Mollah Jahangir, 35. “One time have problem only, boss quickly want to send me home.” This employer enjoyed loyalty from his worker for eight years, but showed none
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Woolim, part 4: employer pleads guilty, fined $36,000
Buried within a press release by the Ministry of Manpower dated 19 June 2014, and titled Computer firm director charged for false declaration of salaries, was a paragraph pertaining to the Woolim case that TWC2
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Volunteers ‘lightering’ up at Outreach
We asked new volunteers who helped out at our July Outreach to contribute some reflection and feedback. Here is one: By Ying Zhen It was my first time participating in a TWC2 outreach activity. I
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Falling 3 metres, Homun feels he’s a marked target, part 2
By Elizabeth Zhou Continued from Part 1. That night, Homun went out for a walk to clear his head. And as it was with Kamal’s plot, someone was following him – once again, he was
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Direct Services Report for 2013
Periodically, Transient Workers Count Too produces a Direct Services Report, summarising the help we render to migrant workers. Help takes various forms, including advice through a toll-free helpline, intervention and case management, medical care, transit
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Falling 3 metres, Homun feels he’s a marked target, part 1
By Elizabeth Zhou Getting injured is a foreign worker’s greatest nightmare. Monday, 5 May 2014. The evening was humid. Sweat gathered on his forehead and trickled down his side-burns. Homun adjusted his helmet and readied
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Singaporean concerned about workers with nowhere to sleep
The above photo came into TWC2’s email box one day in June 2014. Taken around 7am and sent to us by a Singaporean resident in a block of apartments, it shows 25 – 30 foreign
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Foreign worker levy and the release worker
Foreign worker levy rates have been rising in recent years and the trend continues through 2014 and 2015. The present rate for unskilled construction workers who are hired beyond the employer’s MYE (Man Year Entitlement)
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Two domestic workers sexually assaulted, part 2
9:30am — the phone rang. On the line was a TWC2 volunteer telling us about a Filipina domestic worker Mercedes (not her real name) who was crying for help in a shopping mall. We advised
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One third of male migrant workers aren’t paid what they’re due
About one in three migrant workers are not paid what they are due, a survey by Transient Workers Count Too has found. However, even as two-thirds think they are correctly paid, about half of them
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Nights are for crying
By Nissa Mai Asty attributes her improved quality of life to the new weekly day off law, which has opened up opportunities for her to develop valuable skills and connect with other Indonesian domestic workers
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Two dollars per hour
In her column published 6 July 2014 in the Sunday Times, Radha Basu highlighted the fact that many foreign workers in Singapore are still being paid at the ridiculous rate of $2 per hour. In
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Building boom leading to more workplace injuries
Released yesterday by the Manpower Ministry, new statistics revealed a jump in construction-related deaths this year – 17 in the first half, with eight cases in January alone, up from 11 in the same period
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TWC2’s response to the COI Report on the Little India Riot
Media Statement For immediate release, 3 July 2014 TWC2’s response to the COI Report on the Little India Riot TWC2 wishes to make three points in response to the Report on the Little India Riot
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Committee of Inquiry issues report on Little India riot
The Committee of Inquiry on the Little India Riot made its Report public on 30 June 2014. Much of the report deals with the particulars of the incident (that occurred after 9pm on 8 December
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In a foreign country, information from social networks figure strongly
By Danielle Hong This evening, Khan Masud, amiable and floppy-haired, is a first-timer at Transient Workers Count Too’s free meal program, known as the Cuff Road Project. He heard about the soup kitchen from an
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Illegal hirer reports his own illegal worker
By Fuxiong “If I not work, how I live?” Injured worker Md Milon Samsul Haque is telling me why he is now under investigation by MOM for working illegally. But his story has a twist:
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Migrant workers in Qatar – a personal perspective, part 3
Jennifer and Steve Parenteau lived in Qatar for six years before coming to Singapore last year. This is Part Three of their three-part story about migrant workers in Qatar. — By Jennifer Parenteau Initiatives for
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Migrant workers in Qatar – a personal perspective, part 2
Jennifer and Steve Parenteau lived in Qatar for six years before coming to Singapore last year. This is Part Two of their three-part story about migrant workers in Qatar. In Part One they profiled the stories
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Migrant workers in Qatar – a personal perspective, part 1
What’s it like to live and work in Doha as a migrant worker? Jennifer and Steve Parenteau lived in Doha for six years, not as migrant workers but as expats, with some of the privileges
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Frustrating time as Badal waits for ministry to look into salary deductions
By Nguyen Minh Quan Unlike injury cases, workers’ complaints about salary and deductions usually don’t take more than a few months. However, Bangladeshi national Badal, 34, has been in limbo for ten months. His case
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Worker’s ‘five points’ flutters to court
By Joyce Wong He signed and accepted the five points awarded through the injury assessment and is waiting for the payout to go home. But on checking his case status via MOM’s website, he is
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Video: Singapore’s foreign muscle
There is an increasing interest among social media groups in featuring foreign workers, the important roles they play in Singapore and the hardships they suffer. Here is one from SPAM media:
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Every year, Mofazzel asked to pay for his job
By Elizabeth Zhou To trust is to place your vote of confidence in a person or organization, to believe in its reliability, and to be led to feel certain that s/he would honour an agreement.
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Two domestic workers sexually assaulted, part 1
The first hint was in the Phnom Penh Post: that Transient Workers Count Too was helping a domestic worker from Cambodia who said a member of the employer’s family had sexually molested her. It’s a
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Memorandum on required training for construction sector workers
By John Gee In 2011, when looking into the costs Bangladeshis face in coming to work in Singapore’s construction industry, one of the expenses about which the research team asked workers was that of training. They
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As painful as the accident, breaking the news to family
By Nguyen Minh Quan “Mother must die”, says Muthu Chetty Murugesan when he shows me his injured left eye. What he means is his mother will be devastated when she learns that her son has
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Construction companies and bosses in court for kickbacks and other employment offences
A director of a construction company was fined $20,000 for taking money from his foreign workers. Demanding and accepting such kickbacks is illegal. Lin Pinghe 54, took the money from twenty workers from China in
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“In Bangladesh, we don’t live like this”
“Don’t tell people address,” says Kamal (not his real name). “I promise I won’t,” your writer assures him, honoured to be trusted enough by him and his room-mates to be shown the hovel where they
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Civil society statement on racism and xenophobia
We, the undersigned, are alarmed by the recent surge of racism and xenophobia in Singapore. They threaten the human rights of all (especially migrants) and the health of our political conversation. The key to addressing
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We’ve served half a million meals
Transient Workers Count Too has served half a million meals since our Cuff Road Project began in 2008. The milestone was celebrated on Monday 28 April 2014 with a boisterous lucky draw and contest. Nonetheless,
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Went to lawyer in November, injury claim not filed till April, says worker
By Pan Chuen His livelihood depended on him being physically fit and able to shoulder heavy materials, but a worksite injury dashed those hopes. The only break in the dark clouds above him is a
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Where the nose leads
With additional reporting by Chris Lee Eventually, the case ended in a rather unsatisfactory way. We can hardly fault Jalil Shaikh Bala Miah Shaikh, 27, for being frustrated with the outcome. His case shows how
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Even with his good eye, Atikur can’t see what his ‘lawyer’ is doing
By Peter Looker “Lawyer say you wait, you wait, you wait MC money” Atikur (not his real name) tells me, “but money no give”. For four whole months now, Atikur, a worker from Bangladesh, has
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First advice from lawyer’s assistant: quit company dorm
By Nguyen Minh Quan To the question “How much do you have to pay your lawyer, how much is he going to charge you?” Gowri (not his real name) replies: “Charging, no talking.” It is phrased
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Salary problems two jobs in a row
By Peter Looker Polash has no passport. He can’t go home. “My boss, he say passport lost.” His previous boss at Timberlux International Pte Ltd claimed not to have the passport. “Boss alibaba,” Polash alleges, using the
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With a broken foot, Siva climbs three floors to sleep
By Eitan He’s been hobbling around with that boot and a crutch for four months already. Every day he goes up and down three floors to get his free meals provided by Transient Workers Count
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Inspectors coming, so crew moved elsewhere
Your writer asks Deepak (not his real name) how much overtime he worked, and gets a long-winded response that doesn’t quite answer the question. Instead Deepak describes how he has to work two, three or
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Kamal of many chops
By Elizabeth Zhou Cleanly shaven, he is dressed in a tight-fitting dark blue T-shirt that betrays a physique built by hard labour. A pair of trendy earphones is slung around his neck. It is my
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Engineering diploma-holder made to work as general labourer
By Hui Zhen Manikandan was instructed to meet “boss” one day, after six days’ absence from work, and told he would be fined $180 ($30 a day) for not being on the job. “Boss say,
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TWC2 calls for comprehensive bill on labour trafficking
TWC2 calls for practices of labour trafficking suffered by low wage migrant workers in all sectors of employment and foreign fishermen who dock in Singapore or on transit in the country to be addressed in
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Polash, Palus and their passports
It is normal procedure for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to require employers to hand over foreign workers’ passports when employees have made salary complaints. “Today, MOM officer call two times to him (the boss),”
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After an injury, Sohag asked to sign “many paper”
By Fuxiong Some employers try to take advantage of a foreign worker’s weak English. They present stacks of papers for the worker to sign, papers that he can’t understand. All sorts of pressures are then
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Half of construction workers deployed outside their skill areas
The report Training centres in Bangladesh have become money-minting machines (published September 2013) was based on research done in Dhaka. Drawing from anecdotal information, we asserted in the paper that “Most workers report that their Singapore
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Mover moves back home
Most men from Bangladesh dress quite conservatively. Compared to his compatriots, Sohel, standing at our front door, flashed a lot of skin. Your writer remarked to himself: This guy is halfway to becoming Singaporean. When Sohel
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Serving up shirts
Dinner time at the Cuff Road Project is usually hectic. Too many laid-off workers crowd into a tiny diner not just to get their meals, but to seek a consultation, get a document explained to
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A brighter picture for hospital staff
“They didn’t ask any questions,” said Nor Karno, “unless the managers weren’t in the room. Then the questions came.” The Transient Workers Count Too social worker was describing his experience giving three talks at Bright
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Net pay $351 a month, Jamal couldn’t take it any longer
By Pan Chuen Faced with an impossible situation filled with uncertainty, what would you do? Md Jamal Abdul Aziz Maji, 29, is a Bangladeshi worker who worked in Singapore for thirteen months before his patience
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At the Cuff Road Project, injury cases more than doubled 2013 over 2011
The number of injury cases seen at the Cuff Road Project more than doubled between 2011 and 2013, latest figures show. In 2011, our volunteers saw 807 injured workers; it shot up to 1,523 cases
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Cuff Road Project 2013: Statistics
The Cuff Road Food Programme is Transient Workers Count Too’s signature project. It provides free meals to migrant workers six days a week when they are injured or otherwise out of work and destitute. It
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Mahbub has been depending on charity for two whole years
By Sonia Pillai “Family just cry,” says Mahbub, 26, of their helplessness after learning of his injury. “Now everything cannot. My cousin, my uncle, my friend borrow (he means ‘lent’) me money, I cannot give
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Why the right to seek another job is important
A key plank in Transient Workers Count Too’s advocacy is that of untying a work permit holder from his employer, and allowing him (or her) job mobility. Naturally, even as he seeks alternative employment, only
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Our accounts reflect our frugality
In 2013, over 90 percent of TWC2’s spending went towards charitable activities, benefitting our clients in a relatively direct way. We spend little on overheads, reflecting a philosophy of frugality we are proud of. Total
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Gripped by two repatriation agents, Monjor is taken to airport
By Joyce Wong Monjor’s boss wanted him to accept a lower pay than previously agreed. He refused. Then repatriation agents came. Last month, testifying before the Committee of Inquiry looking into the Little India riots,
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How ‘law’ fails migrant workers
At the Migrant Awareness Week organised by students in the law school of National University of Singapore, 3 – 7 March 2014, a whole host of activities were on the calendar. For the forum of
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MOM does not abandon workers, says ministry director
The director of the Foreign Manpower Management Division, Kevin Teoh, told the commission of inquiry looking into the Little India riots that his ministry does not abandon workers. This was after TWC2 president Russell Heng
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Nose healed, Rana ready to go back to work, but boss won’t have him
By Woo Haoqi Instead of providing for his family, Rana Md Masud depends on his uncle for financial support. This uncle is also working in Singapore, but it doesn’t change the fact that Rana is
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230 retail employees face jail
By Lucas Ho Selvam (not his real name) rests his head, heavy with worry, in his hand. “I very worry,” he says. “So many nights I cannot sleep.” He knows about a recent the report
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Woolim, part 3: employer charged
Transient Workers Count Too understood from indirect sources that the Ministry of Manpower originally had no plan to prosecute employer Woolim Plant Engineering for failing to pay correct salaries. For background to story, see Part
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Malaysians form the largest group of work permit holders by nationality
In yet another example of the Ministry of Manpower releasing data in dribs and drabs, Kevin Teoh, the divisional director of MOM’s Foreign Manpower Management Division told the Committee of Inquiry looking into the Little
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Who prospers in this salary saga?
Our recent article about workers from Woolim Plant Engineering & Construction Company explained how the Bangladeshi employees were underpaid for over a year before deciding to raise the issue, and how Transient Workers Count Too
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In the hours following an accident, the mischief starts
By Keith W Hossain Jabed’s story is one of long frustration. His accident happened more than one year ago, but his medical treatment has been suspended because his employer wouldn’t pay, and now he is
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Dentists treat foot injuries, don’t they?
By Mayank Tripathi “Why should I go to a dentist for a broken foot?” exclaims a visibly weary Md Sultan Khan, when he begins telling me his story. About a year ago, Sultan, an employee
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High Court overrules MOM Labour Court on overtime pay
In a noteworthy decision, the High Court ruled that the Ministry of Manpower’s Assistant Commissioner for Labour misapprehended the law, applying it wrongly. The latter (also known informally as the Labour Court) had ruled in
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Through six years working here, Suman’s salary stayed much the same
Most times, when TWC2 volunteers interview workers, the conversation tends to focus on the immediate problem he or she faces, be it an injury needing proper medical attention, unpaid salaries, or a job scam. Suman
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Owed $18,000 by boss, Arul told he should go home without collecting it
By Jacintha Gopal Narayanasamy Arulmurugan (Arul) has in hand a formal order issued by a Labour Court ordering his employer to pay him $18,276.42 in owed salary. But he is facing the stark possibility that
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Lawyer tells injured worker he can go home without waiting for WICA process to conclude
By Sonia Pillai Quite early in the interview, Palani Srinivasan, 43, mentions that his lawyer has told him to go home after his third operation. “Let me do collection for you,” was what (according to
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Scammed worker given only six months to recover his $4,500 loss
By Fuxiong Torikul’s hoped-for second job in Singapore never materialised. Instead, he’s $4,500 in the red, having paid this total sum to an ‘agent’ and the boss. Getting it back is going to be difficult.
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“Sign now,” says ‘workers control assistant’ to injured Arif
By Joyce Wong Confronted by enforcers, Arif fled the dorm for his own safety. He left all his belongings behind. On 18 Jan 2014, fifteen days after a section of a finger was cut off
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Kowtham leaves Singapore poorer than when he arrived
Vallathan Kowthaman is going home end January 2014. He has no reason to smile as broadly as he does in the photo above, being about $6,000 poorer than when we arrived for his second job
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Alam’s disappearing accident
By Benjamin Wong The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website states that for a worker to claim under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA), “the employee only needs to prove that he was injured in a
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Nazim’s employer didn’t report accident to ministry for ten months
By Keith W Nazim Chowdhury shows me a three-page document he printed out. It’s the formal accident report that his employer provided to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The incident was described in the document
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Injured workers inside and outside WICA: processes, problems and solutions
This downloadable document is a consolidation of the various recommendations that Transient Workers Count Too has made to the Ministry of Manpower in the last few months and years, with respect to injured workers. Injured
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Woolim, part 2: case vanishes
Continued from Woolim, part 1: How low can a salary get? Early January 2014, Iqbal comes to the office with a group of his co-workers telling us that three of the fifteen men have accepted
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Naidu shared a truck with machinery, his hand paid the price
By Joyce Wong 28 June 2013. Morning. Although he had reported to work, Ravada Gouru Naidu felt a headache coming on, and his supervisor allowed him to go back to the dormitory to rest. He
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Migrant workers at writers’ fortnight at United World College
By Pat Meyer and Christine Pelly, photos by Low Yim Kuan Over the course of two days in January, twenty migrant workers from Bangladesh and India talked about their lives with just over 200 students
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Five years on, Junnuri still waiting for injury pay-out
Junnuri Subrahmanyam’s flight was booked for the evening. He wanted a day off on his last day in Singapore so he could go downtown to buy gifts for this family. He had been working four
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Law students’ reflections 4: Crossing a road
By Charmaine Yap On the very first day of our 3-week internship at TWC2, Alex told us most emphatically that we would need to “step out of our middle class mindset and assumptions”. That thought
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Workplace injuries and migrant workers
By John Gee The annual report for 2012 of the Occupational Safety and Health Division (link to Part 1, Part 2), released in March 2013, (“OSHD Report”) showed that the number of workplace deaths had
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TWC2’s recommendations for State budget 2014
Transient Workers Count Too submitted a 23-page set of proposals to government feedback portal REACH in advance of the 2014 budget debate in Parliament. Among the many recommendations are these key ones: A. Permit job
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Nine worksite fatalities in January 2014
Nine worksite fatalities were recorded in the first month of 2014, reported the Straits Times (ST, 30 Jan 2014, Structure collapse kills one, injures 10 workers in Sentosa, by Yeo Sam Jo). The latest victim
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Esan comes back to a new job
By Keith W He waves to me while I am standing in the ATM line. He looks familiar but I can’t place him. Guessing that I am having some difficulty remembering him, he approaches me
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Dulal put to lie-detector test
Continued from Dulal faced problems on all fronts, none of his own making Laymen think that polygraph tests can reliably establish the veracity of a person’s statement and detect his lies. Perhaps those old movies of
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Dulal faced problems on all fronts, none of his own making
On the morning of 29 September 2012 as he was about to start work, Dulal Abdul Hai found a crowd gathering to watch a fight between an Indian lorry driver and a Bangladeshi welder. Without
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Law students’ reflections 3: A peek into a different world
By Ashley Loh “Step out of your middle-class mentality” — this was one of the first few things said to us on our first day of attachment. My experience with TWC2 has definitely opened my
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‘Tis the season for family (except for foreign workers)
By Shri Devvi Elangovan This past holiday season signifies, for most of us, a special time, being able to spend some quality time with our family and loved ones. And along with the start of
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Three cases filtered out
Whenever we have a new story about a worker, we tend to put a link to it on TWC2’s Facebook wall. Most of our stories tell about workers’ experience with salary defaults or the frustrations
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Law students’ reflections 2: Different, but the same
By Nicholas Kam Migrant workers are not that different from us. While they are not Singaporeans or permanent residents and hence do not enjoy certain rights and privileges, they are human beings, and, like most
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Unknown to worker, records say it wasn’t a workplace accident
By Joyce Wong Pitchai Murugesan rolls up his right sleeve and shows us a long surgical scar running from his upper arm down to below the elbow. I estimate it to about 20-30cm long. He
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A wild day at the zoo
By Terence Kek The Straits Times featured TWC2’s Discover Singapore project in its edition of 29 December 2013. Their photographer Desmond Foo followed the group on our zoo outing the day before to capture some
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Trafficking easier to identify if migrant labour in general is treated better
Former president of Transient Workers Count Too, John Gee, spoke at the NUS Human Trafficking Conference on 10 January 2014. Others on the panel included Kandhavel Periyasamy (Joint Ops Director, Ministry of Manpower), Jolovan Wham (Workfair Singapore)
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MOM catches employer charging workers for permit renewal
By Fuxiong Around 20 November 2013, “MOM call all 30 men to [a] meeting,” says Ananth (not his real name). I ask if the boss was present. “No, not boss, but company driver [was] there.”
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Law students’ reflections 1: What they need
By Sanjana Jayaraman Sometimes because of the very nature of life and development, we tend to sideline people. No one deserves that kind of treatment because it is unfair and that person could very well
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Easrafile chose to give up $1,050 to see ill father
By Nor Karno Easrafile Sikdar Eskandar Sikdar approached Transient Workers Count Too for assistance on 30 October 2013 with an unusual request. Most workers ask us to help them commence or progress their salary or injury
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The blue thumb
Hossain Mohamed Dulal holds up his cellphone and shows us a a picture that he took of his left hand. It’s bandaged after surgery, but his thumb is a sapphire blue. He says that day
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What’s this lorry doing here?
A lorry pulled up outside our free meals station on Friday evening, 27 December 2013. It had some eye-catching cargo, loaded as it was with colourful bags. What’s going on? The bags were soon unloaded
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Bollywood for the boys
By Terence Kek They danced into the night. It was also Harun’s last participation in a Discover Singapore event. “Discover Singapore is very good,” he says. “It helps to take away the pain, worry and unhappy
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Thanks for your donations 2013
A well-wisher slipped a $100 bill under front door over the weekend, together with a short note. Thank you very much. He signed the note and we have emailed him personally with our appreciation. We
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“Play play accident,” says foreman to doctor
By Emily Benjamin At National University Hospital (NUH) where Khan Momen was brought to after his accident, the orthopaedic surgeon only spoke “little bit to me”, said the injured worker. The surgeon spoke mostly to the
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Informed consent, wages, kickbacks, termination and transfers
Four first-year law students were attached to Transient Workers Count Too for three weeks in December 2013. The project we designed for them involved interviewing as many workers as they could on themes of their
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“We allow legal exploitation,” says TWC2 president at forum
TWC2 president Russell Heng spoke for the organisation at a public forum ‘Foreign workers, justice and fairness’, organised by human rights group Maruah on 23 December 2013. To the 100-strong audience, in which included reporters,
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Woolim, part 1: how low can a salary go?
Hossain Iqbel’s IPA states a basic monthly salary of $800, but for a year, he’s been paid a basic of only $1.50 an hour (equivalent to $286 a month). The ‘IPA’ is the In-principle Approval
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We ask three Bangladeshis what they think of Singapore
By Davina Tham Ever since recent events in Little India (see Riot in Little India after bus knocks down pedestrian), the tendency to depict migrant labourers as a matter of statistics, a numbered but faceless
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Soul searching follows migrant riot – Aljazeera
Aljazeera quoted TWC2 in its story dated 18 December 2013 on the Little India riot (Singapore soul searching follows migrant riot, by Tom Benner and Satish Cheney). It quoted TWC2 president Russell Heng saying: “We
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Rare riot exploded in Singapore – Life Week Magazine
A Chinese-language magazine Life Week carried a feature article (its headline, translated into English: A rare riot exploded in Singapore) about issues surrounding migrant workers in Singapore, in the wake of the riot that occurred
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Escaping from repatriation toughs, Neelakandan left all his belongings behind
“Meeting time, they speak all very nicely,” recalls Neelakandan of a meeting at his company office on Tuesday, 22 October 2013. Present were “boss wife”, a Chinese Singaporean, a manager and an engineer, both Sri
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Sunday Times Op-ed: A world apart and invisible?
Straits Times Managing Editor Han Fook Kwang penned a longish op-ed in the Sunday Times of 15 December 2013. While written in the wake of the riot that occurred a week earlier in Little India,
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TWC2 celebrates International Migrants Day 2013 with ‘Lunch with Heart’
TWC2’s 2013 benefit event Lunch with Heart, coinciding with International Migrants Day, began a minute’s silence in remembrance of Sakthivel Kumaravelu, the man who was killed in a bus accident last Sunday night (8 Dec
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Talk at European Union Human Rights Day seminar
Below is the short talk TWC2 vice-president Alex Au (above, 2nd from left) gave at the Human Rights Day seminar organised by the Delegation of the European Union delegation to Singapore, 10 December 2013. The
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Alcohol and private-hire bus ban this weekend in Little India
In the wake of last Sunday’s small riot on Race Course Road at the southeastern corner of Little India, the government imposed a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in the district this
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Menton diary, Part 5
GO TO PART 2 December 2013, Monday Two designated contact persons from the Toh Guan group of ex-Menton staff come to the office to update and discuss the case with social workers Kenneth and Karno.
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Seen but unheard
By Wajihah Hamid Watching what happened on Sunday in Singapore’s Little India made my heart sink. At one end of the line of fire were fellow Singaporeans while at the other end were Indian migrant
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Not often seen: repetitive stress injury
By Eitan “One day, boss face change,” says Abdul Khaium. “Somebody senior talk to boss, then boss become like angry me.” Abdul Khaium does not know the reason even now, but his story is one
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On light duty, with stiff arm, Soman told to operate a lathe
By Shri Devvi Elangovan “Many pain…I cried because a lot in pain”, describes Miah Mohammad Soman of the moments following his accident. He looks uncomfortable, as he sits in front of us with his left
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Little India riot — learning the right lessons from this episode
The Straits Times invited Transient Workers Count Too to contribute an opinion-editorial on the incident of Sunday night, 8 December 2013. It was published in the newspaper’s Tuesday, 10 December edition. — RIOT IN LITTLE
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Frequently asked questions — our views on the riot in Little India
We will inundated with press enquiries on Monday, 9 December 2013, following the small riot in Little India the night before. Many reporters asked similar questions. Below are the more common ones and your responses.
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Media statement on rioting in Little India
For immediate release 9 December 2013 TWC2 is saddened and disturbed by the rioting in Little India last night. We do not condone senseless acts of violence and would like to see those responsible apprehended
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Riot in Little India after bus knocks down pedestrian
A small riot broke out in Little India on Sunday night, 8 December 2013. The junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road (just north of Little India MRT Station) is usually teeming with South
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Doctors need to talk to their patients, part 2
By Benjamin Wong In part 1 was the story of two workers who were worried that their medical records did not correctly capture the circumstances surrounding their workplace accidents. In both cases, the doctors didn’t
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The difference WICA makes
Several stories on our website tell of workers who complain that their employers deny that their injuries were caused by workplace accidents. A recent study by Transient Workers Count Too and Healthserve found that a
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Doctors need to talk to their patients, part 1
By Benjamin Wong Injuries are the most common type of case Transient Workers Count Too encounters. For workers as with anyone, getting injured is far from a pleasant experience, to put it euphemistically. But as
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Who said what to the doctor?
About one in three injured workers, when brought to medical attention after an accident, find that it is the boss or company representative who tells the doctor what caused the injury. The worker doesn’t get
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Young Sujon laid off after only a month in new job
By Joyce Wong Where is next month’s money going to come from? Sitting in front of me is a very young, clean-shaven man. He is neatly dressed with his hair slightly touching his collar. Some
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Worker couldn’t tell family he’s injured: “I know they will headache”
By Gabriel Liong After working a long shift plus an additional four hours of overtime, Sahajan was looking forward to a restful night. It was 9.15pm. His day at the shipyard had begun at 7.30am.
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Do workers exaggerate their injuries? Part 1
An article in the Straits Times, 9 November 2013, on workers’ injuries and medical leave prompted a small flurry of letters to the newspaper’s Forum page. The initial article, headlined ‘Hospitals give too much sick
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Do workers exaggerate their injuries? Part 2
Continued from PART ‘The employers believe these workers exaggerate their injuries to fool doctors’ – so reported the Straits Times on 9 November 2013 (‘Hospitals give too much sick leave for injuries: Bosses’ by Amelia
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Plug gaps in system to reduce illegal work
Transient Workers Count Too’s letter in response to an article about foreign workers working illegally (Straits Times, Monday, 25 Nov 2013, summarised here) was published in the newspaper’s letters section on Friday 29 November. This
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Menton diary, part 4
GO TO PART 23 November 2013, Saturday At last, the story appears in the Straits Times, but it’s quite deeply buried within the local news section. The Online Citizen has a longer story. For a
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St Joseph Lasalle student volunteers spend a day with TWC2
Twelve students, aged 15 to 18, spent about eight hours with TWC2 on Sunday, 24 Nov 2013, on a multipronged programme. Comprising nine boys and three girls from St Joseph Institution and St Joseph International,
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Straits Times blows whistle on injured workers working illegally
The lead story in the Home Section of the Straits Times last Monday looked into foreign workers working illegally. (‘Workers find illegal jobs through informal network’, 25 Nov 2013). It was accompanied by a photograph
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Parvez won’t take any nonsense with salary calculations
By Keith W Workers who have worked in Singapore for a few years tend to know a bit more about their rights. They also know where to get assistance. They are less likely to suffer
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Menton diary, part 3
GO TO PART 21 November 2013, Thursday First thing this morning, our social workers call the Menton workers from Geylang, whom we met yesterday, to ask if they had a place to sleep last night
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Menton Technologies’ failure to pay salaries in the news
The Online Citizen carried a lengthy report, 22 Nov 2013, on the case of about 100 Bangladeshi employees of Menton Technologies who are owed salaries and overtime by their employer. See http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2013/11/a-raw-deal/. The report pointed out
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Menton diary, part 2
GO TO PART 20 November 2013, Wednesday Through the course of the day, about four groups of men come in, until the total reaches about forty. Our main room and social workers’ room have no
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Menton diary, part 1
18 Nov 2013, Monday evening A small group of five men approach TWC2 executive committee members Debbie Fordyce and Alex Au at our free meals location in Little India, telling us that they’ve not been
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Business Times and Today report on TWC2’s payslips stand
Transient Workers Count Too’s recent media statement was carried by the Business Times and Today. The Business Times (‘TWC2 unhappy with govt decision to defer payslips’, 20 Nov 2013) highlighted The non-profit group also wants
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Injured worker struggles to get treatment, is charged for lying instead
Mozumder nearly died. He was inches away from falling six floors. Then the Ministry of Manpower wanted to send him to jail, accused of lying about the accident. Today he is a free man, very
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Video of container housing for migrant workers
TWC2 spotted a Youtube video described as showing the conditions that foreign workers are housed in when their employers use shipping containers for accommodation. Based on TWC2’s experience, this video provides an authentic view of
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Issuing payslips do not add significantly to admin cost
19 November 2013 Media Statement For immediate release Issuing payslips do not add significantly to admin cost; MOM should not accept such an excuse to delay making it mandatory Transient Workers Count Too is disappointed
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Did Ram really need to quit the dorm just to seek injury compensation?
By Fuxiong “Now you see, my finger swollen,” says Arangulavan Sri Ram, “but no more appointment at Mount E.” Mount Elizabeth Hospital at Novena was where he had been treated post-accident, but with no further
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Typhoon Haiyan — be sympathetic to your worker’s needs
As the extent of the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan (also called Yolanda) in the area around the Philippines city of Tacloban became clear, Transient Workers Count Too has been asked what advice we’d give
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While employer resists giving treatment and MOM acts slowly, TWC2 saves Afzal’s future
Afzal first came to the attention of Transient Workers Count Too on 22 March 2013, six days after being assaulted by a Thai worker wielding a beer bottle. Just looking at Afzal, you wouldn’t know
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Good employer, but injured worker still wants to sue
By Davina Tham When injured workers come to Transient Workers Count Too, the sorry tales they bring are usually about trying to get proper medical treatment and difficulty in getting reluctant employers to foot the
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The rice miller
By Shahnaz What does Mattaparthi Kumaraswamy have to show for the six years he has worked? Very little. When he goes back to India, he will have no savings, hardly any prospect of a job, yet there’s
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Proposals submitted for “second phase” employment legislation review
In response to the Ministry of Manpower’s call for public feedback on the “second phase” of proposed changes to the Employment Act (EA) and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), Transient Workers Count Too
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Murugan loses left eye to a safety award
An incentive to promote work safety backfired on Boomi Murugan. He was not allowed to see a doctor immediately after an injury because, according to the worker, the assistant manager wanted to win the annual
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Ilo Ilo: parts of film don’t reflect life of a domestic worker
By Marifel Mosquera Teresita (Terry) is the newly hired helper of Lim Family from the Province of Iloilo in the Philippines. Like most of the women who come to Singapore as domestic workers, she is
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Workers turn flash mob at Yale-NUS College
By TK “The students had a blast!” said Professor Anju Mary Paul. “Their interactions with the workers both in Little India and today have fundamentally changed their views about migrant workers in Singapore.” Paul is
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Caught doing illegal work — a lucky break for Ramachandran
By Benjamin Wong Arumugam Ramachandran first came to Singapore four years ago. For three years Ramachandran worked injury free, but seven months ago, during a routine construction job, Ramachandran injured his knee. At first, he
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Singapore needs updated trafficking laws
As published in the Straits Times Opinion pages on 21 October 2013, by John Gee. — Why S’pore needs anti-trafficking laws District Judge Low Wee Ping was very forthright in his comments on Sept 12
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‘The sweets were delicious’
Once in a while, Transient Workers Count Too succeeds in helping a worker get everything that is due to him. Not only is the worker happy, so are we. Deliriously. But there was a month
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Our Stand: Work permit holders should be free to change employers and stay longer
Transient Workers Count Too believes that the present system wherein workers’ work permits are tied to employers with little scope for transfer is an unhealthy state of affairs. TWC2 would like to see the system
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Our Stand: Housing workers who are on Special Passes
This statement clarifies the stand of Transient Workers Count Too with respect to the provision of accommodation to workers who have been placed on Special Passes, as a consequence of a salary dispute, illness or
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Thamil borrowed from legal assistant to survive
By Max Ang The modern urban environment is a tough and unrelenting place where the simplest of needs is monetised. Money is needed in the exchange for basic necessities, such as food and shelter. Without
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Television’s a treat
By T K “Photo photo”, the men called out to the TWC2 volunteers to help take pictures, as they lined up beside the movie director, chests out, shoulders squared and faces to the lens. This
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Some runaway workers fake their injuries, say bosses
Straits Times, 14 October 2013, has a story on page 3 headlined “Some runaway workers fake their injuries, say bosses”. The newspaper said that some employers contacted it last month, after it published a story
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Over a year, the difference between $18 and $25 adds up to a lot of money
“You see my IPA,” says Shipon as he leaves through a whole sheath of papers. “It say here my salary one month $650.” The ‘IPA’ is the In-principle approval for a work permit and contains
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65 percent of injured and salary-claim workers threatened with premature repatriation
For both groups — those regularly working and those with injury and salary claims– the threat of premature repatriation creates a lot of stress. It is the most important stress factor among working workers, and
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Shoriful and Afroza marry by phone
Webmaster: Sometimes we need to be reminded that migrant workers may come from very different cultures. Shoriful’s story about getting married may sound very strange, but is quite typical for men from Bangladesh. Money concerns
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Support TWC2 through our Lunch with Heart, 15 December 2013
Update, 29 November 2013: TWC2 wishes to thank donors for buying enough tickets to fill the 140-capacity venue. Of these, 50 tickets (already sold and allocated) will be used by the donors themselves and the
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Kabir refuses wrongly-calculated salary for nine months, now no job at all
By Lisa Li Before coming to Singapore, Kabir was promised that the job would pay $32 a day. But “when I start work , I no get 32 dollars, they pay only 28 dollars,” he tells
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Two workers killed by crane collapse
A tower crane accident left two construction workers dead, Monday 30 September 2013. Bangladeshi Ronju Ahmmed, 28, and an unnamed Thai national lost their lives when the crane crumpled down. It had been lifting an
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Crime victim detained for months
By Keith W Yes, you read the headline right. The victim was detained — so to speak. Muthunayagam Saju has been told by the police that he is not allowed to go home to India.
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To combat low spirits, TWC2 takes workers to fly kites high
It was a bright, breezy day with blue skies. Just perfect for kite-flying. Discover Singapore brought twenty-one workers on 31 August 2013 to the Promontory at Marina Bay, taking advantage of the advertised Kite-Flying Festival.
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Gulam shoulders cost of hospital’s mix-up
Gulam Mustafa Zakir Hossain fears his work injury compensation claim may have been totally screwed up. He injured his right shoulder, but the medical report from West Point Hospital where he was initially treated mentions
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First batch of Cambodian maids arrive in Singapore
The Sunday Times did a full page feature (22 Sept 2013) on Cambodian maids joining the Singapore work force. The first few have arrived and an estimated 400 is expected to be here by the
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Study on injured workers’ housing conditions reveals widespread neglect of employers’ responsibilities
Only 28 percent of injured workers have been offered accommodation by their employer (sometimes, MOM) post-injury. This despite the fact that the law requires employers to provide decent housing while they are in Singapore. Even
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Training centres in Bangladesh have become money-minting machines
It started as a way to ensure that migrant workers coming to Singapore had some basic skills, but the raison d’etre has since become something else: to extract as much money as possible from the
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I told my kids: ‘Mummy is going to buy you lots of toys’
By Ghie Ghie Mosquera Harking back to those years when I was still in the Philippines and living with my family, those were the happiest days of my life. Living a simple life with special
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Direct Services Report for 2012
Periodically, Transient Workers Count Too produces a Direct Services Report, summarising the help we render to migrant workers. Help takes various forms, including advice through a toll-free helpline, intervention and case management and a free
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Having to write off $6,500, worker feels ‘heart pain’
By Keith W “Now I get less,” says Prashath Ranthulan (not his real name). “Other worker, they take $3,000 and go back [home]. Agent give, but tell worker [if] take money, cannot go MOM.” He
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Plasterer will not get satisfaction
By Fuxiong Looking downcast, Jeyaraj (not his real name) recalls a recent meeting with his case officer at the Ministry of Manpower: “MOM officer also say, ‘I understand boss alibaba, but cannot prove. If you
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Homeless Salauddin meets true generosity
By Max Ang Since an unfortunate incident at work injured his right middle finger, Mohammad Salauddin Abdul Awal has been unable to work. Without income, where will he find accommodation? Salauddin suffered the accident turning
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Moving to new office
Transient Workers Count Too will be moving our office to another address during the week of 9 to 13 September, 2013. Our new address, located within the same building, is: 5001 Beach Road, #09-86 Golden
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Maid used as ‘runner’ now can’t go anywhere
In the story Crime victim detained for months, we covered the case of Muthunayagam Saju who was robbed. After reporting the matter to the police, he has been kept in Singapore for months and months
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Employer ducks payment, worker frustrated for a year and a half
By Gabriel Liong Masum’s story is one that is fraught with much frustration. He needs treatment for his workplace injury, but his boss is trying to avoid paying for it despite the law [1]. And he
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Andrew Loh reports on workers’ dormitories in industrial buildings
In a Yahoo Singapore story titled ‘Hidden slums of Singapore revealed’ Andrew Loh describes conditions he witnessed in places where migrant workers are housed. He visits some of these places and has a video of what
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Survey uncovers exorbitant agent fees suffered by Bangladeshi workers
By YC Loh For Bangladeshis in their first job here, about half paid more than S$7,000 to their agent. More than 70 percent paid over $5,000. By contrast, the majority (over 60%) of Indians paid less than
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Movie treat: Ilo Ilo
Happy voices in Bahasa Indonesia and Filipino filled the lobby of Golden Village Tiong Bahru cinemas on Sunday, 25 Aug 2013, as members of the TWC2 family came together for a screening of Ilo Ilo.
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Worker falls ill soon after arriving in Singapore, made to bear own medical costs
By Ankur Kumar It was early August last year when Hossain Mohammad Arif’s friend took the crucial decision of taking ill Arif to Alexandria Hospital. Arif’s condition looked serious enough for him to opt for
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So this is barbecue
By Terence Kek “So this is ‘barbecue’! This is the first time we have barbecue and it is nice!” Nazimul, mumbles happily, in between mouthfuls of perfectly grilled food – which includes the fish they
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Workers told to ignore max carrying load per man; suffer injury
By Lim Wei Zhen Seventy to a hundred kilogrammes make a heavy load to share between two men. Yet for Elias Malu Miah (picture, right) and Mahmudul Hasan Majbar Rahman (left), as well as many
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Baby dumping case: address more realistically sexuality issues among domestic workers
A week-old baby girl was found abandoned on 8 August 2013. Police have now traced the mother to a foreign domestic worker, media reports said today, 15 August 2013. Chinese newspaper Wanbao reported: The maid
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Boss upset that injury reported to authorities
By Fuxiong After an accident report was made at the Ministry of Manpower, “my boss, he angry me,” says Shirazul. “He say now have problem with insurance.” Shirazul’s story raises several questions for which no
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Clinic quotes worker over $1,000 for a medical report
By Wendy Ma If you had $1,000, how would you spend it? This sum is equivalent to five months of Wang Cunbo’s living expense in Singapore, as he spends only $200 per month. He sends
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Injured worker held by four ‘rabi’ in windowless room
By YC Loh For some transient workers, the option of spending their last days in Singapore calmly settling their affairs and buying gifts before returning home is far removed from reality. Instead, they are forcibly repatriated
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Workers will bear over $5 billion of costs for injuries sustained in 2011
Preliminary findings from a study of workplace injuries and ill-health in 2011 reveal that slightly more than half of total costs fall on workers themselves, when quantified into dollar terms. Since low-wage foreign workers tend
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The temptation of release
By Chow Zhi Ying Zaman (not his real name) was out of work for three months even though his work permit had not expired. After a serious conflict with his supervisor, who demanded money from
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Made to stand in a corner like children
“At the [agency] office, every morning, we must clean the office,” says Mary Grace Pescador, 31, a domestic helper from the Philippines, “and from 10am to 1am — i.e. past midnight — we have to
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Mixed progress on maids’ day off
This commentary by John Gee, immediate past president of TWC2, was carried in Today newspaper on 22 July 2013: — It is just before 9am on a Sunday and there is an elegantly dressed woman
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Big cut in Filipina maids September 2
A moratorium has been declared on sending Filipina domestic helpers to Singapore starting 2 September 2013. This news was carried by Channel NewsAsia (CNA) and the Straits Times (23 July 2013). CNA said 150 maid
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Over 57,000 meals served in first half 2013
Transient Workers Count Too served 57,852 meals at our Cuff Road Project through the first six months of 2013. We averaged about 2,160 meals per week, which is 45 – 50 percent higher than the
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Foreman takes money from worker
Within about a week of arriving in Singapore in early January 2013 to take up his welder job, Aminul discovered that the $6,000 (Bangladesh Taka 390,000) he had paid in Bangladesh as “employment agent’s fee”
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Don’t dictate sick leave, employers told
The Ministry of Manpower sent out an email reminder to 28,000 workplace safety and health officers telling them “not to influence doctors to give injured workers less sick leave than they need,” reported the Sunday
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Broken bones but no medical leave
The above are file pictures and do not represent any of the workers mentioned in this article Foreign workers with relatively serious injuries get very little medical leave when their employers send them to private
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Homeless Salim’s illegal boss makes up to $150,000 a month
By YC Loh “Where do you stay now?” I ask Salim. “Last night, sleep this table,” is his reply, pointing to an eatery table. “Night before, sleep minimart there,” indicating a bit of space under a
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Beautician relies entirely on agent who puts her on path to jail
Riya was sentenced to three weeks in jail in June this year for twice submitting false documents to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). She had no clue that she had committed the offence. Her life
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Korean students visit TWC2 researching housing for workers
Early July 2013, a group of seven post-graduates from Seoul National University visited Transient Workers Count Too. They were in Singapore for a week for field work related to research on the subject of housing
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25 foreigners jailed for submitting false academic qualifications
Twenty-five foreigners pleaded guilty to “submitting forged academic certificates to the Controller of Work Passes in order to obtain work passes” on Tuesday, 16 July 2013, reported Channel NewsAsia. (Link) The 20 males and five
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Widespread but unnecessary reliance on lawyers
Generally, legal representation is not necessary for claiming Work Injury Compensation. MOM will deal with the relevant parties to process the claim, and any party can approach MOM for advice or assistance on the claims
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Sabuj paid agent $4,500, then faced additional demands
By Wendy Ma First he had to give a big chunk of his salary to his co-worker who acted as an illegal agent, then he hurt his back in his second job. Sabuj Obidaul Hoque
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Nearly one in three accidents may not have been promptly reported
Nearly one in three work accidents might not have been reported to the authorities due to doctors in private practice under-issuing medical leave, a TWC2 survey has found. Only because the worker subsequently makes his
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After six years in Singapore, $5,000 in debt
By Gabriel Liong When Monir first arrived in Singapore in 2007, he came with the hopes of supporting his family, and of one day returning to Bangladesh with a brighter future. After six years, these
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Even bar boys seek us out
The two guys showed up at our office looking for help with accommodation and money for food. But they didn’t look at all like the workers we usually see from China. Recalls Kenneth Soh, TWC2’s
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Long wait for the lorry
By Keith W It was a Wednesday like many other Wednesdays. The men got out of bed, washed, grabbed whatever passed for breakfast, dressed and went down to the street to wait for the lorry
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Employer tells worker: Salary deduction is for government levy
By YC Loh Transient Workers Count Too sees thousands of cases a year. One might think we’ve seen all the many ways workers get the short end of the stick. And yet Elias’ story illustrates a
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Nearly half of workers interviewed paid agents before getting confirmation of jobs
By Wang Ting It is a chilly, drizzly evening. A crowd of people, mostly foreign workers from India and Bangladesh, swamp the registration desk of Transient Workers Count Too’s free meal service. There’s a lot
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Epileptic fits after head injury, but no money for medication
“He needs to be around somebody at all hours,” says Debbie Fordyce, co-ordinator of TWC2’s Cuff Road Project. “The epileptic fit can come at any time, and someone needs to catch him to make sure
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Singapore government should issue mandatory ‘Stop work’ order
Media Statement: Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) is gravely concerned that current bad haze conditions will affect the health of workers in many trades, e.g. construction, marine, sanitation, landscaping. TWC2 strongly urges the government to
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What happens when a worker asks for safe working conditions
By Low Guan Hong Having to work without safety equipment is a common problem faced by migrant workers. And when one decided to speak up for his basic right, he paid a hefty price for
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Marrying is a far-off dream
By Teo Yi Hui Many people who have not heard Shobuj’s story would be forgiven for assuming that he is just like another of the many young Bangladeshi men in Singapore earning a living and
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Time elapsed: 31 hours
Medical emergencies require immediate attention, but this shipyard worker endured 31 hours of pain before getting the help that he required. By Cara The first thing you might notice about Thirumoorthi is his serious, almost
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When an injured worker returns home empty-handed
Amran Hossain returned to Bangladesh on 4 Oct 2012, still with a limp, but empty-handed. He did not receive the work injury compensation that was due to him. His experience in Singapore almost broke his
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Both arms broken, worker needs help eating and showering
“Every day I coming,” says Liton Hossain, describing how he has to travel after work each evening from his company’s dormitory in Sungei Kadut to Desker Road in Little India. It’s a journey of some
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Short-paid workers assert their claims, tell agent they know the law
By Fuxiong Five days after the three of them lodged a salary complaint with the Ministry of Manpower on 1 March 2013, they were summoned to the company office. They were each handed their passports
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“I have worked here for eleven years already, but no day off still”
By Joyce Law and Geng Zhaochong We undertook some outreach for TWC2 recently, which involved talking to foreign domestic workers and finding out more about the challenges they face working in Singapore. Domestic workers play
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Invested his savings to land a job – that had neither work nor pay
By Davina Tham Imagine sleeping ten hours a night, watching TV and movies all day, and getting friends to pay for all your meals. Most people would call this heaven. But for Mahmudul Hasan, this
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Five companies fined for salary delay and poor housing of workers
Five companies were convicted for a variety of offences involving mistreatment of their foreign employees, reported Channel NewsAsia on 30 May 2013. (Link). They were named as: Soon Aik Marine Engineering Pte Ltd, Soon Aik
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TWC2 volunteers organise maiden ‘Discovery’ to Gardens by the Bay
By TK Khurshed, a migrant worker who had injured his back eight months ago, shared bashfully: “I am going to write a letter and send the photos to my wife.” This would be his very
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“Don’t bother talking to my maid, she’s impossibly lazy”
By Gerald Lim, Lionel Ong and Marjorie Pang “Don’t bother talking to my maid. She knows absolutely nothing and is impossibly lazy” – the words of a Singapore employer, who wouldn’t allow us to speak to
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College mates in Punjab give strength to each other in Singapore
By Danielle The two make a striking pair – young men with slicked hair, tattoos and ear studs to boot. Pals from Khalsa College in Amritsar, in shirts and jeans, you would have mistaken them
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The Lives of Others – an investigation into the issues faced by S-Pass holders
This is an investigative report by Jamie Lin Weirong, based on interviews with five S-Pass holders, originally from the Philippines. They work in different trades: retail, catering, and project design and management, but together they
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Migrant dreams extinguished on the road
Two months, before he was due to leave Singapore, Mahalingam Rajesh was looking forward to marrying his fiancee and starting afresh in his homeland. Moving back to India, his dream was to set up a
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Not one among 500 workers could read his IPA
“How many of you received the Chinese-language version of the letter from your employment agent?” asked TWC2 social worker Kenneth Soh soon after commencing his talk to Chinese workers. He was referring to the Ministry
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Kamru worked more than two months, paid for only ten days
By Fuxiong Prior to coming to work in Singapore from Bangladesh, Kamruzzaman took a two-and-a-half month training course in thermal insulation. Expecting to work in a trade he trained for, here in Singapore, he was
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Chinese workers confused what went in or out of their pay
Zhang Bo (left), Zhao Shougui (middle) and Wang Qingshan (right) thought they had a simple problem when they came to Transient Workers Count Too. However, when we looked into their case, it became obvious that
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Difference in medical leave raises question about standard of care
By Danielle Despite first-class medical practitioners and technology in Singapore, some injured workers complain that they do not even get a reasonable standard of care. Moniruzzaman’s story suggests that employers’ desire to limit costs and reduce
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Slow start to male domestic workers
The Sunday Times featured a newly-hired male domestic worker from Myanmar on its 12 May 2013 edition. 31-year-old Lum Hkawng comes from Kachin state in northern Myanmar. The former steel welder, who speaks Mandarin, is
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Employer claims our article contains ‘too many . . . untruthfulness’
On 26 March 2013, we received an email from Wang Fatt Oil & Gas Construction Pte Ltd (a member of E S Goup Holdings), the former employer of Pastula Venkata Ramana, saying that several statements in our
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Worker claims breathing difficulties from dusty work environment, MOM says illness not work-related
By YC Loh Picture your workplace being five to seven metres underground and just a few metres wide, inside a one-and-a-half kilometre long drain under a road. The only source of ventilation is via mechanical means
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Response to complaint about our ‘demonise’ article
Transient Workers Count Too received a complaint about a post on this website about Singapore mums using blogs to vent about their maids. The blogger, Expat Bostonians, has written a rebuttal here. Her point was
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Minimum wage will reduce temptation of illegal work
We usually write about the situations that bring workers to Transient Workers Count Too’s Cuff Road Food Programme — injury, salary dispute, etc — but seldom about what they do to sustain themselves once their
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Company fined $8,000 for late salary payments
The newspaper Today reported on 26 April 2013 that construction company Zhong Jiang (Singapore) International was fined $8,000 for failing to pay salaries on time to ten workers, between last October and December. The salaries that were paid late
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Video: a day in Sudha’s life
The above video was created by a group of students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University. Introducing themselves to TWC2 at the start of their project and seeking
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Why are Singapore mums demonising maids online?
All it takes is one bad experience and an internet connection to start venting your spleen against a maid. Or eight in the case of one blogger. ‘Employing a Maid in Singapore’ was conceived to
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Three cases — as different as night, day and the twilight zone
With additional reporting by Lee Kah Ghim (Nur E Alam) and Tan Ruoqi (Nur Mohammad) Some stories we hear from workers come in fragments and it is hard to fully understand what’s going on with
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Give a kickback or get a kick
Soon after returning to his quarters after work on the evening of 23 February 2013, Shoriful’s supervisor Ujjal showed up with a fellow worker Jakir in tow. With an aggressive tone of voice, Ujjal confronted
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Unpaid, injured gardener says MOM “hopeless”
By YC Loh I winced as the young man showed me his mangled left forefinger — an injury that may cause him and his family much financial hardship in the future. Sooriyamoorthy Senthilkumar arrived in
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Salary complaint resolved unusually quickly
By Davina Tham When eighteen workers demanded the four months’ salaries that were owed to them, their boss told them that they would only receive the money if they first signed a “condition paper”, says Mohammed
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A year and a half since the accident, Mahadi still stuck in Singapore
Volunteer Christine Pelly flipped Mahadi’s dinner card over and noticed that the date of accident recorded on it was more than one year ago. She directed the young man to your writer, who this evening
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SMRT drivers’ strike — a stand for dignity
On 26 November 2012, 171 bus drivers from SMRT Corp did not turn up for work. Many of them did the same again the following day. Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin called it an
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Short-paid worker complains, finds boss trying to strangle him
By Suresh When Khairul intervened to pacify two co-workers having an altercation, the boss, who had been watching all this while, suddenly came forward and pushed Khairul flat to the ground. He mounted Khairul’s chest
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New exco for 2013 to 2015
New TWC2 Executive Committee At the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, 24 March 2013, the following were elected un-opposed to the nine-member Executive Committee: President: Russell Heng Hiang Khng Vice President: Alex Au Waipang Secretary:
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Workers terminated early have trouble getting refunds
The law says that if a foreign worker is terminated within six months of starting a job in Singapore, the Singapore agent who placed him or her in that job shall refund 50 percent of
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Tsunami survivor meets more misfortune in Singapore
By Lim Wei Zhen The slip of a drill left his right thumb fractured, and the hole in the road unfinished. It also punched a hole in Sivaraju’s dream of a Singaporean road to riches.
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Leg in cast, but told to go back to work
By Wendy Mah On the second visit to a doctor, Venkata was told an operation might be needed. In the meantime, a cast was put around his injured left ankle. How many days’ medical leave
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Workers with gloomy anniversaries
Nagaraju Ramakrishnan Raju has been waiting twenty months since his injury. A small piece of metal flew into the right eye of the 34-year-old construction worker in June 2011. He had four months of treatment
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Not guilty, but kept behind bars for want of bail
Salauddin broke down in tears when the court acquitted him, late December 2012. But by then, he had already lost his freedom for five months. And through that period, his family wondered what became of
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Private hospitals making it difficult for workers to access own patient records
Hooq Samesul (above) went back to Raffles Hospital where he had been treated in March 2012. He asked for a copy of his medical records and a statement as to many days’ medical leave was
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Injured men financially desperate, yet no urgency in paying MC wages
By Chow Zhi Ying Since the accident on 14 May 2012, injuring his right eye, Morshed Alam Saiful (above right) has been without income. He has been on medical leave but has not received any
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Direct Services Report for 2010 and 2011
Periodically, Transient Workers Count Too produces a Direct Services Report, summarising the help we render to migrant workers. Help takes various forms, including advice through a toll-free helpline, intervention and case management and a free
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Promised $650 a month, Johon suffers pay cuts to only $390
Mohamed Johon was one of 21 workers from the same company who marched to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in October 2012 to lodge salary complaints, but most of them have since settled for rather
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Great escape from Changi Airport
By Suresh Mohammad Nazrul Asadur Rahman shows me his newly-minted Special Pass. It was issued just earlier today. But he has endured three months of hardship to get it. And it’s not over yet: his
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Worker with broken arm told to see Chinese sinseh
By Danielle The second doctor told Rafiqul he needed an X-ray. But “I no money for X-ray,” he reports to TWC2, and when he asked his company for a referral letter, “the company say I
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Samiul Basir makes us all happy
“I go back after two day,” says Samiul, evidently happy that he’ll be seeing his family again within 48 hours. Well, then, a quick debrief has to be done to see how his case ended.
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Cuff Road Project 2012: Statistics
The Cuff Road Food Programme is Transient Workers Count Too’s signature project. Not only does it address a critical need among workers who have been abandoned and left destitute, it offers an important contact point
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Who eats with The Cuff Road Project and why?
The Cuff Road Project (TCRP) has provided more than 360,000 meals to migrant workers since it began in March 2008. The eligibility criterion for admission into the meal programme is that a worker must be
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House rules designed to ensure maids know their place
“We’re not supposed to swim,” says Ana, a domestic worker. “I’m not sure why. I think it’s maybe because they think we’re dirty.” In the block where Ana lives, domestic workers can’t book a barbecue
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Loads of concern from employer, but no money
By Chow Zhi Ying “Every time I ask for MC money, company say later, later, later…” Shah Newaz recounts. ‘MC money’ is the monthly wage that companies should pay workers who are on medical leave,
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Worker on strike single-handedly opens a can of worms
By late May 2012, Jakir Hossain (above), Dilip and their workmates had not been paid for three months. When Dilip heard that his father in India had fallen ill, he pleaded with his boss for
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Still stuck here 2 years after injury, he needs another operation
By Benjamin Wong Dipangkar sits awkwardly, his back upright, not leaning against the back of the chair. As I interview him, senior volunteer Alex Au picks up on a subtle difference in Dipangkar’s English. “What
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MOM launches pilot scheme to allow 400 Cambodian domestic helpers
The Ministry of Manpower is launching a pilot scheme to allow four hundred Cambodian domestic workers in. It has invited employment agents to apply to join the scheme. The Straits Times reported that six agencies
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Kicked, hit and forced to do military squats for punishment
By Lee Kah Ghim “I see helmet throw at worker, supervisor kick worker. Every fault supervisor also hit.” Sanjit Debuath tells me. “One time supervisor ask worker go outside, supervisor hit him. Worker call police
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1,062 employers fined or warned in 2012 over poor housing
Channel NewsAsia (reported) on 28 January 2013 that seven employers were convicted for failure to give foreign workers acceptable housing in 2012. In total, 1,062 employers were warned or fined in 2012 for providing foreign
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Statement on alleged police brutality
Transient Workers Count Too joined with several other civil society groups and actors to issue a statement on allegations of police brutality made by two former SMRT bus drivers who are now facing charges for
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Another wave of unhappy workers from Lian Shing
By Benjamin Wong Ilias Mir Anisur (above left) and Badal Barai (right) are part of the third group of workers from the same company, Lian Shing Construction Co Pte Ltd, to approach TWC2 for help.
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Falling from tall ladder, all he gets is a massage
By Nigel Lin He gives us a big smile now, but in the evening of 12 May 2012, he lay writhing in pain after a nasty fall off the top rungs of his ladder —
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“Pay me $650 a month or I’ll cancel your work permit”
By Asha R He came to make a living, but ended up thousands of dollars poorer. Rony Nurul Islam, 36, is a quiet man with an easy smile, but get him talking about how he
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Government collected S$2.5b in foreign worker levies in 2011
For the first time as far as anyone in TWC2 can remember, the government has revealed how much it collects each year in foreign worker levies. Every employer who hires a foreign worker in Singapore
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For employers, the law is optional — is this MOM’s policy?
Anowar Hossain (above right) was financially desperate ten months after the accident at his worksite. He had been terminated from his shipyard job and received no income since. To pay for food and lodgings, he
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Piety and the worker
By Benjamin Wong It is seven in the evening. The crowd at the TWC2’s Cuff Road meal project starts to pick up and workers slowly stream towards the restaurant. They wait in queue, decked out
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TWC2 makes submissions to MOM on amendments to Employment Act
The Ministry of Manpower invited public responses to a consultation paper re amendments to the Employment Act. The closing date was 11 January 2013. Transient Workers Count Too submitted a list of proposals. Click here
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Boss refuses to heed court order to pay $69k injury compensation
Uzzal’s injury happened like this. On 9 June 2010, he was working on a project in an HDB flat, hacking away floor and wall tiles in a bathroom. The vibration from the hacking machine caused
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Two workers, broke and in debt, speak to Today in video
In this video, Today newspaper interviewed two Bangladeshi workers suffering because they are receiving no income, when they have borrowed money to come here. Below is a transcription of what’s said in the video that
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‘Troubled waters’ report launched
Researcher Sallie Yea gave a talk on Tuesday, 8 January 2013, launching her preliminary report on human trafficking in the fishing industry. The event was organised by Transient Workers Count Too. To an audience of
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Jolovan Wham writes open letter to Manpower minister
Jolovan Wham (right), writing in his personal capacity, sent an open letter to Tan Chuan-Jin, acting minister for Manpower on 7 January 2013. The opening paragraph references a defamation suit that the minister is threatening
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Troubled waters: Trafficking of Filipino men into the long haul fishing industry through Singapore
Research by Sallie Yea With contributions by Shelley Thio from TWC2 December 2012 Abstract The report shows that trafficking characterizes a significant proportion of the experiences of the fishermen on the boats that dock in
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Low pay may deter foreign workers
“Singapore will find it difficult to recruit foreign construction workers even from newer markets like Sri Lanka and the Philippines if it does not match salaries that employers elsewhere are offering,” reported the Straits Times
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Eight hours a day in ‘prison’ — I will go back to Myanmar, even if I have to starve there
[Webmaster: This story first appeared on the Facebook page “A maid’s-eye view of Singapore employers“. It is a distressing story, but it shows how some domestic workers suffer terribly. The story is said to be
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MOM tough on worker, lets employer run rings around laws
Workers put on Special Passes are not allowed to work; they receive stern warnings and punishment if caught doing so. Yet their employers are able to avoid paying medical leave wages and medical expenses, leaving
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“My boss also Work Permit man,” says S-Pass holder
By Fuxiong It’s my first interview with a migrant worker and I am feeling like I am thick in the head. After nearly half an hour I still cannot make sense of Mark’s story. The
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Don’t go to Singapore, it’s a place full of hardship and suffering
Rashedul isn’t typical of the men who leave Bangladesh for Singapore in search of wealth and fortune, and he would be the first to acknowledge that himself. He was in the middle of completing his
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“40 to a room” — video of a workers’ dormitory in Singapore
The above video shows an industrial building converted into a dormitory for Chinese, Indian and Bangladeshi workers. Each room houses about 40 men — there are at least two rooms — in extremely crammed and
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Yousuf’s boss went out of his way to help
A horrible accident resulting in death and injury reveals an employer who provided unwavering support for his Bangladeshi worker. An accident between a double-decker bus Service Number 87 and a large tree-pruning vehicle left a
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At the holidays, a little thoughtfulness for those far from home
By Benjamin Wong TWC2 volunteer Siva (above at right) is decked out in a black T-shirt, grey bermudas and sandals. On the table next to him sits a stack of boxes. A worker approaches him,
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Helping with the basics
Some cases that come to Transient Workers Count Too are very complicated. Others, especially of serious injuries, are heart-breaking. But Zay Lay Tun’s request was a simple one: He wants help to resign from his
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TWC2 supports due process for SMRT drivers
In response to the labour dispute that erupted between SMRT Corp and its China bus drivers on 26 November 2012, the Singapore government has termed it an “illegal strike” and instituted legal proceedings against five
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TWC2 marks International Migrants Day with sports fun
Transient Workers Count Too celebrated International Migrants Day 2012 with a sports carnival 16 December 2012. Several rounds of men’s and women’s volleyball and women’s futsal were played. We also took the opportunity to do more
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Put in a fix by uncontactable boss
By Suresh At a time when employers are crying for shortage of workers in Singapore, a worrying trend of foreign workers hanging around with no work is seen on the rise. Their employers brought them
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NIE students contribute a video for IMD 2012
Student volunteers from the National Institute of Education, assisting TWC2 in preparing for this year’s International Migrants Day produced the above video. Looks like fun! International Migrants Day is a United Nations-endorsed event to mark
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Pay rate unilaterally reduced by boss three months into job
“When I go back to Chennai, I will put fire my passport,” Subburaman says, agitatedly. “I not coming back Singapore. In India, I beggar man also can. Don’t like working here.” He is clearly frustrated.
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Salary chipped away for years, injured and now homeless
By Chow Zhi Ying “At first I saw doctor type fifteen days’ MC in his computer,” reports Abu Ahasan, but the foreman, who went with him to the hospital, told the doctor: “You give fifteen
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Motorbikes lost
The night she came screaming into the kitchen was the night the motorbikes took off. Fernando is left nursing his financial wounds. This story sounds a bit of a farce, except that it’s real. The
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In lawyer we trust
By Rachel Hui Three months after a lorry collision (see story on AsiaOne) that left twenty-five foreign workers injured and one dead, Pandian, 34, the driver of one of the lorries, still cannot walk without
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The visitor: Jayasurenda, 52, curls up beneath the stars
We arrive at a black door with no number on it. Jayasurenda (Jaya for short) from Sri Lanka, is about to show me where he has slept for the last 6 months while waiting for
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Hand smashed, needing three-hour operation, but no medical leave
By Kay Tan The first thing you notice about Aktar is his wide sunny smile. And then your gaze is drawn to the strange stiff glove on his right hand. When you quiz him about
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Amid bureaucratic inflexibility, TWC2 finds Dulal a path to health
On the day before his departure, Mohammed Dulal Harunur Rashid brought a little self-made poster to Transient Workers Count Too’s office. It said “I and my family never forget TWC.TOO . . . Long live
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Photos through the eyes of workers
How do migrant workers see the spaces, people and activities around them? What is significant to them? A fascinating exhibition will let you in on the secret. Migrant Encounters is the brainchild of Ye Junjia
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Injured? It’s over, you’re going home
By Nigel Lin I offer Pitchai a handshake – it is my first time interviewing a foreign worker and hey, I thought it’d be polite to do so. He takes it up, albeit rather weakly.
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From video to concert, this 23 November
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H0sbZnCf2I Many people will have seen the above Youtube video that circulated a few months earlier. It was made by Beyond the Border, Behind the Men, a project that celebrates the otherwise anonymous and invisible
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Confined to wheelchair for months, worker had no good advice how to make a claim
By Chow Zhi Ying Safiulla told the law firm that he wanted to discharge them from representing him. He was shocked to be told in return that he had to pay $1,000 before they would
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Planning in progress for International Migrants Day 2012
When a Transient Workers Count Too volunteer met domestic workers of the Filipino Family Network and the Indonesian Family Network in June and said, ‘We were thinking about what we should do for International Migrants’
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NUS students witness cleansing operation against foreign workers
Introduction by Alex Au: Even as Debbie Fordyce was explaining to a group of students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) the problem of homelessness and lack of social space for foreign workers, ten
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Big operations meet big heart
By Benjamin Wong Approaching Zakir Hossain, one immediately notices the giant white cast that covers his left forearm. What comes to mind are the stories, the turn of events so commonly heard: an accident occurs,
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Settling in: Class no.1 for new maids in Singapore
By Rob Irene joins the queue to get her height measured. She is in a group of about 10 new arrivals from the Philippines packed into a training room to take the Ministry of Manpower’s
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Lured by promises, worker hands over $5,000 to employer
By Spiegel Saddled with debt and stripped of his livelihood, Rahim (not his real name) feels his life hanging in the balance. A wage dispute last month prompted Rahim’s Singaporean employer to revoke his work
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Having a rough ride
By Suresh A ride sitting at the back of a truck in May this year was all it took to change the fate of Kashem Abul for worse. He’s been working in Singapore for a
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Manpower minister signals tightening of S Passes
After a 12.5 percent increase in the number of S Pass holders from December 2011 to June 2012 [see earlier story], the government is looking at doing more to control the inflow. The Straits Times
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A punch thrown, bystanders avoid getting involved
By Lee Kah Ghim If you witnessed a man being punched in the eye by another, would you render assistance? What if the victim were a foreign worker, someone who belonged to a category of
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Letter in Straits Times: Foreign workers’ medical dilemma
A letter by TWC2 exco member Debbie Fordyce was published in the Straits Times 25 October 2012. She highlights the quite common problem of the government creating a bias against workers in favour of employers.
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Photographer shoots workers as superheroes
Photographer Sam Chin will be showing works from his project “SuperHeroes” in a group exhibition at the National Museum on Stamford Road from 20 October to 27 December 2012. This exhibition is part of the
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Industrial accidents make tenement landlords rich
By Benjamin Wong Where do these out-of-job workers stay? This question is often asked. Hardly any of them are housed by their ex-employers, though in theory the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) expects employers to continue
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Mind the gap: no system in place to help workers needing costly medical care
Just this year alone, three workers came to the attention of Transient Workers Count Too with holes in their skulls resulting from workplace accidents (see story here). They needed cranioplasties — reconstructing the missing part
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Three cranioplasties
This year alone, Transient Workers Count Too came across three workers who had sustained head injuries. In dealing with the emergency, a part of their skulls had to be removed. With only soft skin covering
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Cash flow plan shredded by hungry ghosts
Shah Ali didn’t have much choice when his one-year work permit came to an end. Having paid an employment agent about S$4,400 to get this job for him a year ago, he had still not
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Mopping is for diploma holders
Soman Murugappan worked hard for his diploma in electrical and electronics engineering, specialising in instrumentation and control. If he’s lucky, he’ll be getting a job as a cleaner. The 26-year-old from Tamil Nadu, India, came
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Manpower minister provides 5-year data for foreign workforce numbers
Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin penned a blogpost in the Manpower blog in which he sought to explain to the Singapore public the recent trends in foreign workforce numbers. He said that many businesses
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The man in the metal brace
By Nasreen Ramnath The steel beam fell away beneath his feet, and he was suddenly swinging like a pendulum in mid air. Holding on for dear life to a steel cable, he hung suspended 10
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For Bitdut, TWC2 stands for Tooth Worries Cleared Too
By Suresh Little did Bitdut Chandra know that he would have to endure a second crisis after the first. In March this year, the lanky 27-year-old from Dhaka seriously injured his right leg while at
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“I hope to see my family”, says dying father
The New Paper carried, on Saturday, 29 September 2012, the story of the emergency airlift home for Amin Late Abu Taher that took place two days earlier. This story is now archived on the AsiaOne
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Plenty of work, plenty of money for everyone but the worker
At the end of a work shift, while waiting for the rest of the crew to assemble their things and board the company lorry, the driver had a brief word with Arif Hossain. He said
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Underemployed the first month, unpaid the second
By Lee Kah Ghim “I want more working.” Sitting with me is Nazmul Hossain, 27, a very fit young man raring to take on more jobs just so that he can feed his family of
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Nabbing immigration offenders affects Special Pass holders too
The drop in the number of immigration offenders was covered recently in the news: 2,077, 1,698, and 1,318 people were arrested for immigration offences in the first half of 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively [endnote
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Workers on temporary jobs face salary problems too
The general principle is this: When workers lose their jobs because their employer breached a rule or two and thus caused the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to revoke the work permits the employer had previously
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Many happy returns to Irene and us
By Russell Heng A year ago, TWC2 had a financial crisis where funds were so low, we were faced with closing up in less than five months. Around that time, journalist and editorial consultant Irene
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Silent. Tearful. Broken
By Benjamin Wong “Where do you sleep now?” It is but my first question, and it already pierces something in Mizanur’s heart. He begins to tear. I tell him to take his food, then come
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Injured worker left to bleed overnight
By Danielle Hong Aiful spent a fitful night on 16 May 2012 trying to sleep. It wasn’t possible. Earlier in the day, a metal beam had fallen straight onto his back, leaving gashing wounds that
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Amin and his elusive employers
Three months after he arrived in Singapore for his job, Amin Hajee Baten, 39, was filled with renewed hope. His agent, whom we shall call Mr E, had finally given him a specific address in
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Home sweet home
The men were beginning to doze off in their post-lunch siesta, when a van-load of officers from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) arrived. Strangely, the officers didn’t speak to any of them, said Chandan Sarkar,
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TSMP Law’s zoo trip lifts a hundred spirits, part 2
By Xinlin This is Aminul’s first time going to the Singapore Zoo and he has spent the night before tossing and turning in his bed. “I am very very happy,” he says. “This is great
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TSMP Law’s zoo trip lifts a hundred spirits, part 1
By Rachel Hui. Photos by Alex Tay. On 26 August 2012, TSMP Law Corporation sponsored a trip to the zoo for a hundred Bangladeshi and Indian migrant workers receiving assistance from TWC2, along with ten
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Boss wants to cancel Work Permit because worker “didn’t pay agent”
By Debbie and Alex After a full day’s work on 17 July 2012, Rabel (not his real name) was called to the office to see his boss. “Boss say I have to leave company,” he
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Kabir’s roller-coaster, part 2
Continued from part 1. Kabir Mohammad Sana Ulla Miah got a reprieve. At the request of a senior officer of the Ministry of Manpower, TWC2’s social worker contacted him just as he was despondently packing
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Kabir’s roller-coaster, part 1
The worker at the other end of the phone line was extremely upset, and TWC2 social worker Raymond Ang had a hard time calming him down. Kabir Mohammad Sana Ulla Miah had been given an
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“Fewer than 60 cases per year” not insured; 14 Wica prosecutions over 5 years
The Ministry of Manpower says only one percent of work injury claimants find themselves facing employers who did not have work injury insurance. Straits Times, Thurs, 30 Aug 2012. It also concedes that the vast
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The lost boys part 3: The meeting after the attack
Continued from part 2 This is the last of three parts: A week after the attack, which left Nurul with a bloodied right eye, I sat down with all three men to discuss the events
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TWC2 volunteer invites workers to his wedding feast
Shivaji Das married Yolanda early August but organised a special wedding feast specially for TWC2 beneficiaries of The Cuff Road Project coinciding with Eid al-fitri, locally known as Hari Raya Puasa, which this year fell
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Two realities: Fate and disappointment
By Xinlin On 7 August 2010, Shohidul Islam Late Abdul Jalil, then aged 31, fell about two metres from a ladder while doing work on an airconditioning duct. He was hospitalised at Changi General Hospital
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From little finger to bigger mess
Through a Tamil interpreter, Pragash told TWC2 that his employer asked him to sign two letters, both written in English. He had no idea what was said on them, nor was he given a copy.
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The lost boys, part 2: Homelessness and jobs in the sex industry
Continued from part 1. This the second of three parts: In theory the Special Pass is a good idea – workers get to stay in Singapore until their disputes are settled and possibly to retrieve
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‘All investigations are conducted expeditiously’, says MOM, but no answer to question on average time taken to close a case
Straits Times reader Alex Tang, in a letter published by the newspaper in its print Forum (16 August 2012) asked a number of questions about workers placed on Special Passes because of “cheating” by employers.
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Boomi’s African odyssey, part 6
Continued from part 5. This is the last of six parts: Their return to Cotonou was greeted with more despair when the others saw that Boomi had flown nowhere. They appreciated that Rajeesh had truly
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Jobs portal launched for direct matching between domestic workers and employers
By Spiegel Foreign domestic workers in Singapore now can turn to a new Internet-based service for cutting middlemen costs when seeking switches to fresh employers here. DWJobs.org, a maids’ job portal launched a few weeks
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Mind the gap between principle and practice, Sunday Times gently chides MOM
In carefully couched language, the Sunday Times told the government that it’s all very well to enhance penalties and add new offences to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, but unless there is enforcement, what
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Protect vulnerable workers against abuse, says Straits Times in its leader
The Straits Times’ editorial of Saturday 18 August 2012 spoke up for the amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Noting that when employers get away with circumventing the rules and thus pay less
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The lost boys, part 1: Accused of being homosexual, beaten and dismissed
Part one of three: “I’ll suicide tomorrow,” Masum says from behind his doleful eyes. “I can’t go home, I have no money… family very, very poor.” Ever since he arrived in Singapore Masum’s life has
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On the proposed amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (August 2012)
Amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) were tabled before Parliament on Monday, 13 August 2012 by Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-jin. It is likely that debate and passage will take place about
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The scenic route to solving salary disputes
A simple salary claim became a 14-month saga, eating up a good chunk of state resources. It was completely unnecessary, since the solutions that would prevent such disputes from arising in the first place are
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Boomi’s African odyssey, part 5
Continued from part 4. This is the fifth of six parts: The Angolan passport ready, Boomi, Rajeesh, and Emil made the long trip by car from Cotonou, Benin, through Togo all the way to Accra,
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Sunday Times highlights TWC2’s research ‘Worse off for working?’
A full-page feature in the Sunday Times, 12 August 2012, on the plight of foreign workers was timed to precede the first reading of amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act in Parliament the
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Worse off for working? Kickbacks, intermediary fees and migrant construction workers in Singapore
By John Gee A majority of Bangladeshi workers in the construction industry may be made to pay their employers for the renewal of their contracts. Typically, they need to be employed in Singapore for at
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Boss says to injured worker: “You must work, if not, go back Bangladesh”
By Xinlin Transient Workers Count Too sees many cases where an employer might consider early repatriation of a worker to be the best solution to avoid further costs, especially work injury compensation. This is particularly
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Is MOM outsourcing its work?
The most common question that people ask about the injured men who eat at The Cuff Road Project (TCRP) is whether they have lawyers to help with their case. Well, yes and no. Yes, they
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What counts more? Cash flow or human suffering?
By Benjamin Wong Sahabuddin is in pain. Sahabuddin wants to get rid of the pain in his back and return home, but he cannot do so. He has been waiting for an operation since April
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TWC2’s cranial reconstruction case featured in The New Paper
The New Paper carried a double-page spread on three cases of workers needing cranioplasty. The main story was about Majibar Hakim whose employer “would not pay for the surgery” said the article, though the reporter
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Blacklisted from Singapore for her boss’ mistakes
By Francesca Kusmayati says her Singaporean employer asked her time and again to go to the airport to pick up new domestic workers arriving from abroad. The Indonesian domestic worker, who goes by the name
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Worker may need operation for back injury, employer wants to send him home
By Arjun Naidu One June evening, at a coffee shop along Rangoon Road, construction worker Md Ebrahim Miah faced a stark choice. “Boss very angry,” he says. “Say, ‘now I give you ten minutes, you
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Cuff Road Project 2012: 1st half year data
Transient Workers Count Too served 50,258 meals in the first six months of 2012 at our Cuff Road Project. This brings the total number of meals served since the project began to 310,606. As you
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Walking the talk in Little India
It is that time of the year when a new crop of students start their university education. This week past Transient Workers Count Too have been kept busy reaching out to freshmen at the National
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Work injury compensation limits increased as at 1 June 2012
The New Paper reported, on 4 August 2012, that a total of $68 million was awarded in compensation for permanent incapacity and death in 2011. It did not provide any split between froeign and local
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Boomi’s African odyssey, part 4
Continued from Part 3 This is the fourth of six parts: On return to Cotonou, the immigration officials didn’t need to stamp his passport, because Boomi hadn’t crossed immigration in Morocco. His luggage was lighter
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Seven to seven
7 am on Saturday, 7 July 2012. Two heavily-tattooed Chinese men walked into a company dormitory and demanded that Md Mustakim Khan pack his belongings right away. “They say to me, ‘Today your flight go
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Belly good fun at benefit dinner
It was a warm night on the rooftop of Zsofi Tapas Bar last Sunday (29 July 2012) but all the guests — numbering over a hundred — had a good time. Transient Workers Count Too’s
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When non-payment of salaries has almost become routine
By Benjamin Wong TWC2 treasurer Alex Au went down the line of men queuing up to get their meal coupons at the charity’s soup kitchen. “Salary case or injury case?” he asked each man in
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Boomi’s African odyssey, part 3
Continued from part 2 This is the third of six parts: Rajeesh was the only one who knew anything about the city of Cotonou, Benin, and having gone out regularly he had picked up a
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A musical mechanic
By Arjun Naidu Mechanic Devadass Ganesamoorthy was having his lunch break when five or six Ministry of Manpower (MOM) officers raided the workshop in June. “They ask, ‘Where permit?’ and I give permit.” But although
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Might paying salary on time have saved a life?
By Benjamin Wong To the question ‘Are you married?’, Mohsin Howlander pauses, pursing his lips. “My wife, she die already,” he replies, fighting back tears. “Oh dear, how did that happen?” your TWC2 volunteer asks
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Foreign worker told: “If we kill you, there won’t be any witness”
In his nine months since arriving in Singapore, Habibur (not his real name) has been scolded – verbally and physically – threatened with his life, exploited, beaten and forced to lie to the MOM. As a teacher
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Today newspaper follows TWC2’s website for donation news
Today, a publication of Medicorp, carried an article about donations for victims of the Bugis MRT site accident crossing $23,000 in its online edition 24 July 2012 (see below). The report cited a mention of
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Boomi’s African odyssey, part 2
Continued from part 1. This is the second of six parts: Looking forward to a bright new future, Sellathurai Boominathan embarked on a journey, early January 2011, that should eventually take him to Canada. He
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Mr Ho’s Saturday donation pushes campaign over $10,000
We heard a faint knock at the door around 2pm on Saturday afternoon as I tapped away on my laptop; I was here in TWC2’s office to edit some photos for the website. Mr Ho,
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Signing on the dotted line
‘Signing on the dotted line: examining operational indicators of trafficking’ is a two part article written by TWC2’s immediate past president, John Gee, for the website of The Trafficking Research Project (TTRP), and published in
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Josie’s plight: beaten one month into her new job
I got a call last week from a maid who works in Little India named Josie. She approached me in my capacity as a writer for TWC2 as she wanted to share her story. Josie,
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Appeal for assistance for the families of two workers killed at Bugis site
UPDATE:As at 5 p.m. on Monday, 23 July 2012, total donations exceeded $23,000. DONATION WINDOW WILL CLOSE ON FRIDAY, 27 July 2012 at 23:59h. This should allow sufficient time for those interested to help to
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Two more migrant workers killed in worksite accident
Two Chinese workers were killed and eight other migrant workers injured when scaffolding at the Bugis station worksite collapsed, deluging the two workers below with wet cement. The construction industry is one of the most
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Akkabar‘s rage against 3-year wait for compensation
It by no means applies to all migrants we talk to at TWC2, but anger simmers very close to the surface in some of the men we encounter. Not all. Most are unbelievably patient and
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Three new volunteers join monthly outreach to Chinese workers
The four young volunteers shown above were with TWC2 social worker Kenneth Soh doing outreach to Chinese workers last Sunday. Chloe has been with the team for a while but the other three are new.
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Boomi’s African odyssey, part 1
This is the first of six parts: The house in Pattukottai, Tamil Nadu, is unfinished, with reinforced steel bars poking out from the flat concrete roof. There are walls, ceiling, and floors of rough concrete, windows
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Plank gave way under his feet, while worker was 25 metres above ground, part 1
“Look, my hand like this, cannot move,” said Moriddul. His fingers could move, but he couldn’t flex or rotate his wrist. “When did this happen?” your writer asked him. October 2011, he said. He was
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EZ-link top-up scheme makes hospital visits so much easier
“I no have money,” said Hashem. “How to take bus?” “So you mean you didn’t go to your hospital for your appointment?” I asked. “You must go. Otherwise, how are you going to get well?”
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Translating humanity
Commentary by Jamie Lin Weirong Humanitarian organisations such as TWC2 have long been advocating for the proper treatment of foreign workers in Singapore. The appeals against the abuse of foreign labour often revolve around notions of
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Workers should be ferried in buses, not lorries
Following a serious road accident on 3 July 2012 in which one Indian worker was killed, former TWC2 president John Gee wrote a letter to The New Paper. It is reproduced below as published on 9
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Ball retrievers sent out of bounds
Everything was wrong about Majid’s job except one thing: he was earning the kind of money he had hoped for, and he was being paid on time. Having invested about $4,400 in recruiting agent’s fees
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Trafficking and the media
‘If you are a media worker or a person whose work involves contact with the media, how do you deal with the issue of trafficking in an ethical way? Trafficking stories often involve such appalling
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Proposals for the amendment of Regulations issued under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act
The EFMA governs the employment of foreign staff in Singapore. The great majority of non-Singaporean employees are low-salaried migrant workers.Out of over one million non-Singaporeans employed in the country in 2011, 870,000 are low paid
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Proposals for the amendment of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA)
The EFMA governs the employment of foreign personnel in Singapore. The great majority of non-Singaporean employees are low-salaried migrant workers. TWC2 brought together a legal team to work on proposals for the amendment of EFMA
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Anis the plumber: sentenced to clean an Australian coal tanker
Until February this year Anis worked inside a large coal tanker; he would spend around 10 hours in its guts with five men for company, a power hose and the toxic fumes of anti-corrosive paint
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Teenagers spend a rainy Saturday afternoon grasping the issues
By Paul M As a society we can often measure our progress by the attitudes, ambitions and actions of our youth. So one of the more hopeful signs is the increasing interest of youth and
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Johir’s going home, minus one good hand
His left hand is now a stiff claw; it’s not going to help him earn a living ever again. He is only 26 years old, according to his passport. Fifteen months ago, on January 9,
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Money-minting paradise
Vikram (not his real name) came to Transient Workers Count Too regarding an injury for which his boss was reluctant to provide proper medical care. But that’s not what this story is about. Just to
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Bad news day at galvanising factory
In Mohamed and Bilal have gone is the story of two of 56 men laid off because their employer reportedly failed to pay the government’s foreign worker levy. When so many workers are affected, several groups of
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Cat on velvet
This senior gentleman is scrutinising the back of Debbie Fordyce’s name card. He’s probably wondering: What exactly does this woman do? What mischief does she get up to? Meanwhile, she’s seated less than two metres
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Welcome to our private hell: 30 men, 4 beds
Last November, Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin involved himself personally in a raid conducted against substandard accommodation for foreign workers. In a Facebook post, the minister described the conditions he saw as “abysmal.” I
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Mohamed and Bilal have gone: 56 workers follow as company is sanctioned by MOM
We at Transient Workers Count Too spend a lot of time talking and counseling men who are desperate to stay and work in Singapore, trying to find out how their cases are progressing and what can
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Interactive Akash
Be Bangladeshi worker Akash for a little while — that’s the concept behind the interactive video produced by Nanyang Technological University students Avril and Yanling (lower right inset above) for their final year project. It’s
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Berita Harian spotlights Mohd Khamsya
Mohd Khamsya, one of Transient Workers Count Too’s volunteers at our Cuff Road Project, was featured in Berita Harian on Monday, April 2, 2012. The Malay-language newspaper however, omitted mention of Sya’s involvement with TWC2,
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Better enforcement needed in helping injured foreign workers
The subject of paying for medical treatment needed by foreign workers came up in a letter by a Jeffrey Law published by the Straits Times in its online edition on March 14, 2012. Below it
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Mr Xu calls our hotline: “I am being sent home tonight.”
5:30 pm. Our social workers Kenneth Soh and Raymond Ang were tidying up their desks — not to go home, but to set off to Little India where Transient Workers Count Too’s soup kitchen operates.
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Toothache as existential crisis
By Xinlin Basir Ullah is a stout man with an easy smile. However, when he came to TWC2 last Tuesday, it was not a smile but a face contorted in pain that we saw. He
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Injured worker goes home, loses 13 kg in 7 months
Asad is the man above. The picture on the left was taken in August 2011 before he left Singapore; even then he was slim, around 60 kg. The picture on the right was taken in
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SMU students create video sensation from Little India interviews
By Francesca A striking new video of candid conversations between Singapore Management University students and Bangladeshi construction workers has become a YouTube sensation in Singapore. Between its release on March 7, 2012 and the end
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Domestic workers: from lives of simplicity to complexity
The New Paper published a laudable background feature on domestic maids from the Philippines and Indonesia on Monday, March 26, 2012. In the three-page spread by lead writer Amanda Phua, the story described their pre-Singapore
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Cloudy case — TWC2 draws the line
This is an uncommon story. It’s a story about a case in which Transient Workers Count Too decided we couldn’t help any further. Like any organisation, funds and volunteers’ time are limited, and if we
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Soap kitchen day
A group from Paya Lebar Methodist Church came by to our soup kitchen at lunch on Saturday, March 24, 2012, to give out goodie bags stuffed full of useful things to the workers we serve.
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Steady and focussed, reports Committee at AGM 2012
Reporting on yet another successful year helping 1,908 migrant workers, the Executive Committee of Transient Workers Count Too described an organisation that is in steady hands, very focussed on its mission, at the Annual General
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Worker flees captors through jungle at night
Jahangir waited till all seemed very quiet outside the room where he was held. It was 11 p.m. He climbed out of his window and tip-toed across the grass to the fence. Summoning a burst
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Overview of income and expenditure in 2011
In a brief presentation made at the Annual General Meeting held on March 25, 2011, Transient Workers Count Too treasurer Alex Au gave a cautious assessment of TWC2’s financial health. Recalling how at the start
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Old dreams asunder, Ahsanur finds new hope
By Spiegel In Bangladesh, men who have returned from labours in distant Singapore often regale their young compatriots with glowing tales of a city of abundant opportunity, where hard work finds good reward. But for
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Thai fishing trade under fire for human trafficking
Desperate Cambodians, recruited into the Thai fishing fleet, have been jumping off their boats to escape life-threatening work conditions. They are often not paid either, reported Nirmal Ghosh , Straits Times’ correspondent in Thailand. The
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No office, no website, yet $100,000 in illegal profit
46 men this week join a long list of foreign workers penalised by officialdom for being duped by local companies looking to make a quick buck. Yes, you read that right: They were penalised for
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Two years after worker’s death, his family struggles to survive on $5 a week
Shuma supports herself and her two children by taking in sewing, for which she receives about 300 Bangladeshi taka (less than $5) a week. While her husband was alive, he sent home an average of
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Cook dived into hot soup
Neatly dressed and courteously greeting everyone in the office as he made his way to Kenneth’s desk, Yang (not his real name) was clearly not your typical construction worker from China. He could even pass
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Cake was sweet, but Cuff Road 4th anniversary festivities bittersweet
By Francesca A crush of more than 230 out-of-work migrant labourers crowded in and around Isthana Restaurant in Little India Thursday night, March 15, 2012, to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Transient Workers Count Too’s
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Give them a break: maids deserve a day off
Following the debate that is swirling around Singapore on the government’s announcement of a day off for foreign domestic workers, I thought it about time someone went into bat for these girls and started talking
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TWC2 glad that Tanjong Pagar MP has raised issue of abandoned injured workers
Transient Workers Count Too Monday, March 12, 2012 Media Release For immediate release TWC2 glad that Tanjong Pagar MP has raised issue of abandoned injured workers; invites reporters to 4th anniversary of our free meals
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Rashedul’s challenge
As the events were unfolding, TWC2 posted an update on Facebook. Our Facebook ‘friends’ responded with outrage. “I think every time the police throw any foreign workers who have just escaped from a fire back
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Indranee Rajah takes Manpower ministry to task — comment
At last, somebody within the ruling party has noticed a problem that Transient Workers Count Too have known about for years, and tried to bring to the Manpower ministry’s attention repeatedly: there are plenty of
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Facebook ‘Likes’ cross 1,000
March 9, 2012, marked a little milestone for Transient Workers Count Too. The number of ‘Likes’ on our Facebook page crossed 1,000, reaching 1,017 on the morning of March 10., as can be seen from
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Domestic workers cheer new day-off rule, struggle with memories of work without rest
By Francesca Ummai, a 34-year-old domestic worker from Indonesia remembers a dark stretch of her life when she would cry every night. She was 17-years-old, on her first job as a domestic worker, and her
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Death in Geylang: 200 ‘Likes’ and Counting
How do you measure compassion online? Or empathy? How do we advocate tolerance towards migrant workers when negative stereotypes are being continually recycled and unchallenged in cyberspace? Civil society is changing shape online but sadly
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Petshop worker ‘caged’ by boss
中文翻译 The staff at Transient Workers Count Too are used to hearing female voices with a Filipino accent asking for help over their difficulties, but this call was different. Evangelina (not her real name) was
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TWC2’s stand on trafficking in persons
Prepared by John Gee for TWC2 Trafficking in persons means the moving people to a place other than their home area through coercion or deception for the purpose of exploitation. It has three elements: Actions:
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Government making weekly rest day mandatory for foreign domestic workers a progressive move
Transient Workers Count Too Monday, 5 March 2012 Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) welcomes the announcement by the Ministry of Manpower requiring a weekly rest day for foreign domestic workers (FDW). TWC2 has been advocating
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Worker with back pain sent here and there — the system requires it
Part II, paragraph 3 of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Regulations says explicitly that employers are responsible for any medical care that foreign workers need: The employer shall be responsible for and bear the costs
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88% of migrant workers caught in limbo show signs of clinical depression
By Anita Mehay “Good here if Singaporean – not if Bangladeshi man” – Mr Olm Mr Olm, a 22 year old Bangladeshi man came to Singapore to work. Just 4 months in, he suffered a
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MOM needs to be more proactive than reactive over salary complaints by foreign workers
Statement to the media by Transient Workers Count Too 8 February 2012 For immediate release The recently reported strike by about 200 foreign workers at a worksite in Tampines over unpaid salaries once again highlights
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Thirteen months with a broken knee, part 3
Continued from Part 2. Monday, December 19, 2011, Manik showed up at Alexandra Hospital for his long-delayed knee operation. He was nervous, as anyone would be undergoing his first surgery. An operating theatre was ready
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The perfect job
Abul Kalam thought he had found the perfect job, one that he could arrange directly with the employer and that didn’t require him to deal with an agent or recruiter in Bangladesh. Most Bangladeshi workers
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Tired of waiting
Unlike other stories at this site, 29-year-old Madasamy Muniyandi’s story is not one of grievous injustice. He has no major beef with his employer though he suffered a bad accident that has left him with
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“MOM and the Police will ensure that the worker is not confined against his will,” says Manpower minister Tharman
Below is the transcript from the Hansard of a parliamentary question asked by Mr Pritam Singh (Workers’ Party – Aljunied) on November 21, 2011. One employee of a repatriation company was jailed for voluntarily causing
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Time-lapse: a typical evening at our Cuff Road Project
TWC2.org.sg from benjamin broekema on Vimeo. Benjamin Broekema spent nearly three hours on his feet making the above time-lapse video at Isthana Restaurant, one of the two places where Transient Workers Count Too operate our
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How low can a salary go?
Shobus never would have agreed to a job that promised only $9 a day. But of course that’s not what he was promised before he came. He was told that he would earn $800 to
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Building firms look farther afield for workers
As economic growth in India and China roars ahead, lifting wages, companies in Singapore addicted to cheap labour are scouring other countries as potential sources. A story in the Straits Times, January 20, 2012, reported
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Eighteen men, two windows
By the time a foreign worker comes to Transient Workers Count Too seeking help, he most likely would have been kicked out of company-provided accommodation. For many of the men we help, shelter is a
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Street work in Geylang
TWC2 community worker Kenneth Soh together with five volunteers devoted a Sunday afternoon distributing information leaflets in the Geylang area, targeting workers from China. Four of the volunteers are in the header image above (left
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Not sent to a doctor for one month after the accident, further treatment still blocked by employer
By Rahul Advani Even before the start of my interview with Al Amin Kuddus, 24, he looked uncomfortable. “I have a boil under my arm” he tells me. “The pain is so strong I cannot
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Are low-wage workers subject to withholding tax?
It has recently come to Transient Workers Count Too’s attention that a clause in the Income Tax Act that refers to withholding tax may apply to low-wage migrant workers. Workers who are terminated prematurely and
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Fact sheet: Correct way to calculate salaries (non-domestic workers)
Volunteer case workers are sometimes confused as to how salaries of work permit holders (other than domestic workers) should be calculated. This is understandable because methods used by employers differ widely, and most times, the
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Cuff Road Project 2011: ‘Company cases’ and overstayers
A worker approaching Transient Workers Count Too for help at our free meals programme would have his case catergorised as a “Company case” if the source of his difficulty is the behaviour of his employer.
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TWC2 featured in NTUC Lifestyle magazine
NTUC Lifestyle magazine had a four-page feature on Transient Workers Count Too in their recent monthly issue. With a circulation of 294,000 this should give TWC2’s message a considerable boost. You can read the story
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Lured into $250,000 Canadian ghost job scam
Hossain is angry. He is among a group of Bangledeshi workers scammed out of around S$250,000 by an elaborate ruse to lure desperate migrants into overseas jobs that don’t exist. It’s happened many times before.
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HDB construction workers to rise from 18,000 to 45,000, so will worker problems
Media Release 13 January 2012 For immediate release Minister for National Development Mr Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament, in response to a question from a member of parliament on 9 December 2012, that with the
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Cuff Road Project 2011: Injured workers’ length of stay
Graphs by Debbie Fordyce with additional reporting by Alex Au As can be seen from the graph at Cuff Road Project 2011: Types of cases seen, Transient Workers Count Too saw an average of 65
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Badluck Rafiq
Seldom does a single worker get featured in the news twice. Rafiq Miah has that dubious distinction. He was first mentioned in the New Paper in August 2011 after suffering a foot injury in April,
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Serial disappearance
It’s never easy sitting across a table from someone who is distraught. As a non-profit organisation, we do not have legal powers to help; we can only assist with advice and by communicating with the
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Cuff Road Project 2011: Types of cases seen
Slightly over half the cases that come to us at Transient Workers Count Too’s free meals programme come with one or more injuries. Almost all these injuries were sustained at work. A small number would
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Boss wouldn’t pay for his operation
By Rahul Advani Sitting across the table, I was immediately struck by his fresh faced, boyish features and cheery smile. It was difficult to comprehend how someone who looked so young could endure the difficult,
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No country for fishermen
The death on the high seas of Eril Morales Andrade was featured in The Online Citizen’s story, dated January 9, 2012. The case of this Filipino, recruited by a Singapore company, Step Up Marine, to
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Cuff Road Project 2011: Meals and nationalities
The Cuff Road Food Programme is Transient Workers Count Too’s signature project. Not only does it address a critical need among workers who have been abandoned and left destitute, it offers an important contact point
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Injured workers fall through upkeep gap
Data from Transient Workers Count Too’s Cuff Road Project for 2011 shows that slightly more than half the cases that come to our volunteers stationed at our soup kitchen are injury cases. Why does the
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Another house of cards collapses
One by one, the men came through the door of the Ministry of Manpower until they were 46. Then their employer, whose name the men recalled as Farouk, stood up to address them. As recalled
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Samad wants his $1,000 back
Samad Hossain didn’t think it was a critical problem when, one year into his job as a construction worker, his employer began deducting $300 a month from his earnings. It was explained to him that
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One who will not be dancing
(It doesn’t start until 30 seconds in) Coming across this beautiful video, your correspondent was reminded of Jitu, whose story is here at Left for dead, Jitu finds his feet again — except that that
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Botched hand surgeries
Every year, three public hospitals see more than 15 cases of foreign workers whose hand injuries have not been treated properly, reported the Sunday Times, January 1, 2012, in a full-page spread. The hospitals were
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Twice abducted by repatriation agents, Asadullah goes home poorer than when he arrived
Among the one million medical tourists spending some one billion dollars on medical services this year was the Bangladeshi Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. His ministry was established in December 2001 for the
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Asadullah tells his countrymen to be careful about taking jobs in Singapore
Asadullah advises care when taking on jobs in Singapore In this short video, construction worker Md Asadullah Late Md Hasan Uddin speaks to his fellow countrymen in Bengali, advising them to be extra careful when
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Speaking of domestic workers: legal isn’t always moral
By Jason Shut the blog down; it’s illegal – so went opponents of SingaporeMaid.blogspot.com. The controversy erupted when the Straits Times reported on the blog, run by a full-time mother who goes by the online
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A life cut tragically short, a brother seeks answers
By Spiegel When young Sohelrana, a Bangladeshi carpenter, contemplated a return to Singapore in hopes for second fruitful working stint, he thought his younger brother, Roni Miya, should follow. Their father, a farmer, has kept
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Constructing cut grass
Before leaving their home country for Singapore to take up new jobs, Aman Ullah and Rafiqul Islam received a letter each from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Titled “In-principle Approval for Work Permit” and commonly
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Why is there no bed?
Would teenagers be able to understand the travails of working life? Especially those of migrant workers? At their age, they had never had any taste of work, nor would they have had much contact with
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Minister of State Tan Chuan-jin calls on bosses to treat migrant workers fairly
Singaporeans should show our appreciation to migrant workers as they are an integral part of society and play an important role at that, said Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin in a blogpost marking
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Thirteen months with a broken knee, part 2
Continued from Part 1. “Mustafa Plaza,” Manik told the taxi driver. He figured it would be safest there with lots of fellow Bangladehsis around. He might get some help too. By September 19, just a
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A soft spot for the underdog
By Ramesh First-time volunteer Jason Lim says the experiences of his youth shaped his views towards migrant workers and domestic helpers. “I remember being shocked when I asked my mom how much we paid our
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Straits Times reports on International Migrants Day
Carried on page 2 of the Home section, the Straits Times (Monday, December 19, 2011) featured various non-profit organisations’ messages and activities marking International Migrants’ Day, including TWC2’s. Leading the story was the call by
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Casual but engaged at TWC2’s December 2011 outreach
In the second of a new series, Transient Workers Count Too held a public outreach event Saturday, December 17, 2011. Divided into two sessions — the earlier one relating to domestic workers and the later
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Thirteen months with a broken knee, part 1
“Are you scared?” your correspondent asked Manik, seated across the table. His operation was scheduled for Monday, December 19, 2011, just four days away. He had never had an operation, never been under general anaesthesia
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In commemoration of International Migrants Day, 18 December 2011
Message to mark International Migrants’ Day, 2011 by Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) Migrants on temporary work permits have long been the backbone of Singapore’s economy. Today, there are 870,000 migrant workers in Singapore comprising
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SIP should include empowering domestic workers with knowledge of their rights
December 15, 2011 For immediate release TWC2 welcomes a new policy announced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on 4 December 2011 to replace the compulsory English written test for newly arrived migrant domestic workers
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Advertising intern does good famously
Challenging themselves to “do good famously”, three interns from British advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty Limited (BBH) came up with the idea of having one of them, Ian Napier, live and work as a migrant
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‘Pay me $550 – $570 a month,’ the boss said
On Tuesday morning, December 13, 2011, the boss of RegiCo (pseudonym of company name) called 23 employees, all migrant workers, to his office and announced that the company was bankrupt. “You should go to the
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Migrant workers show off their dance moves
Every person has multiple talents; migrant workers too. At TWC2’s celebration of International Migrants Day (IMD), some of these hidden talents came to the fore. Members of the Indonesian Family Network (IFN), Filipino Family Network
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Website reveals unreasonable expectations of maid employers
The Straits Times published an article reporting a complaint against a website (Employing a maid in Singapore) that carries employers’ allegations against domestic workers, along with their details. Former TWC2 president, John Gee, wrote to
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Arrived in Singapore, kept waiting for his job, only to find himself an illegal
Mahabubul Abul Khayer’s employment history illustrates how exploitative and disgraceful Singapore’s record of using foreign labour is. Repeatedly, employment agents made thousands of dollars out of him. At least in the early years, he got
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Finding love in a foreign land
The above was the headline for a feature story carried in the Sunday Times, 4 December 2011, about romantic relationships between foreign workers in Singapore. The newspaper’s reporters trawled Lucky Plaza and Little India over
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Jailing bosses who ill-treat foreign workers is good, but do more to help the victims
December 1, 2011 For immediate release Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) welcomes the sentencing guidelines laid out by Justice V K Rajah in his written decision issued last week in Lee Chiang Theng vs Public
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Four week prison sentence an inadequate penalty — Russell Heng
In response to Straits Times’ editorial following remarks by Justice V K Rajah dismissing the appeal of Lee Chiang Theng who had mistreated over 600 migrant workers, TWC2 president Russell Heng sent this letter to
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MOM ‘belittles’ foreign workers, says Jolovan Wham on TOC
In a commentary published by socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC), Jolovan Wham criticised the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) ineffectual moves with respect to abuses committed by repatriation companies. Link to article. It is not
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Manpower ministry publishes booklet for foreign workers
New workers arriving in Singapore will receive a booklet giving them important information about their stay and job here. Each person arriving with an In-principle Approval for a Work Permit will get a copy at
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Jail for bosses who mistreat workers, says judge
This article was first published on Yawning Bread and republished here with permission (slightly edited). In a landmark judgement from the High Court, Justice V K Rajah not only dismissed the appeal of an employer
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Straits Times editorial: Hit these labour abusers hard
The Straits Times carried an editorial on November 29, 2011, following the Court of Appeal’s decision in the case of Lee Chiang Theng vs Public Prosecutor, as reported here (Judge: Bosses who ill-treat workers will
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Of life and debt
By Spiegel Ramachandran arrived six years ago. Leaving his parents and two siblings in Tamil Nadu, he found in Singapore a new life, steady employment, and a shot at lifting his family into a better
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Donate your older cameras and laptops to TWC2
Stay green, at least a little longer. Don’t be so quick to throw away your older cameras and laptops when you’ve bought a newer model. Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) has use for them. As
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Judge: Bosses who ill-treat foreign workers will go to jail
Dismissing an appeal against a jail sentence imposed by a District Court, Judge of Appeal Justice V K Rajah said that employers who fail to pay their foreign workers on time or house them in
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Not like a fridge or washing machine
It’s been 33 years, said Isaac Tan, since foreign domestic workers started moving into Singaporean households. A generation of young people has grown up with them. How have their presence impacted our lives? Together with
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Many workers ‘missing’ because repatriation agents sent after them
Letter to the Editor, Straits Times November 21, 2011 The article “Wanted Posters for Missing Foreign Workers” mentions workers who disappear just before the expiry of their work permit, suggesting that they would prefer to
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Banned for being broke
“I no money, I no job,” said Kesar (real name withheld on request), explaining why he worked illegally for a short spell. After he complained to his employer about deductions from his salary, he was
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Salaries should be paid in full within 7 days — the legal basis
In a booklet distributed by the Ministry of Manpower to Work Permit holders, titled ‘A Guide for Foreign Workers’, there is a brief mention of when employers are supposed to pay their workers. It says:
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Employment of Foreign Manpower Regulations
Section 29 of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) empowers the Minister (in this case, the Minister of Manpower) to make additional regulations governing the employment of foreign manpower. These additional Regulations have the
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Midnight rescue
The midnight air was humid and still. Russell slid his car into the driveway fronting the block of flats marked for the rendezvous, turned off his headlights, and rolled down his window glass to listen
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Workers asked to choose between pay cut or repatriation
Without work, Abubakar (right, above) was not getting any money and had to depend on free meals served by TWC2, but it wasn’t because the scaffolder wasn’t willing to work. It was simply because his
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Firms ‘too powerful over foreign workers’
Today newspaper carried the gist of TWC2’s press release, pointing out that giving employers total freedom to terminate and repatriate migrant workers is the source of much exploitation. The newspaper’s edition of November 15, 2011,
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Marathoners push themselves for TWC2
The annual Standard Chartered marathon is around the corner. Scheduled for December 4, 2011, Pui Kwan Lee, Shuxia and Aseem Thakur are motivating themselves by the thought of TWC2’s worthy cause. These three runners have
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Tan Chuan-jin blogs about his visit to TWC2 earlier this month
In a blogpost dated November 17, 2011, Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin, mentioned his recent visit to TWC2’s frontline operations at Cuff Road. He wrote: Early this month (1 Nov), I visited the
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Fact sheet: Applicable law for wrongful confinement
TWC2 volunteers often come across cases where migrant workers are seized and detained by private security and repatriation agencies, on orders of their employers, for the purposes of quick repatriation to their home countries. This
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Where we stand on fair treatment of foreign domestic workers
Questions and common defences for existing treatment of foreign domestic workers by their employers and TWC2’s responses: 1. Don’t most domestic workers agree to the conditions they work under? If a woman has signed a
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Fact sheet: Foreign domestic workers in Singapore (complaints and abuses)
What are the main complaints made by foreign domestic workers? Complaints vary to some extent, according to nationality. A 2005 survey of 115 Indonesian domestic workers who had worked in Singapore found that more than
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Fact sheet: Foreign domestic workers in Singapore (basic statistics)
How many foreign domestic workers are there in Singapore? There were 201,000 female domestic workers in Singapore on Work Permits (end of 2010), as reported by the Ministry of Manpower. That made it about one
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TWC2 welcomes Tan Chuan-jin’s focus on worker housing
November 14, 2011 For immediate release Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) applauds Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin’s personal involvement in raids conducted against substandard accommodation for foreign workers (Straits Times, 11 November 2011:
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Three videos: Inside look at migrant worker housing
There are many stories about migrant workers being housed worse than animals, in unsafe and unhygienic conditions. But it is hard to grasp how bad things can be without the visual image. With phone cameras
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Workers urged to sign up for casino ban
In a follow-up story to that of November 4, the Straits Times reported Monday, November 7, 2011, that employers and recruitment agents are encouraging their foreign workers to apply for voluntary exclusion from the casinos
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P.E. teacher learns Bengali as she helps workers
By Ramesh “You’ll get more than you give,” says Avelyn Wei, a 24-year-old St Joseph’s Convent physical education teacher, on being a volunteer at TWC2’s Cuff Road Food Programme. “I’m not trying to romanticise what
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Hired on sufferance: China’s migrant workers in Singapore
This is a report published on China Labour Bulletin on February 10, 2011, compiled by Aris Chan. It calls on the Singapore government to abolish its employer-sponsored work visa policy, which gives employers excessive power
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Making merry
Merry Maids from NJCPW075 on Vimeo. By KS Touched by the plight of foreign domestic helpers, a group of teenagers from the National Junior College decided to produce an animation video related to this issue.
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Manpower ministry’s Tan Chuan-Jin visits TWC2
Senior officials from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) met with Transient Workers Count Too this week on a fact-finding visit, engaging in fruitful and cordial discussions that broached a range of legal and workplace issues
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Bosses send foreign workers to gamble
In a special report on November 4, 2011, the Straits Times put the spotlight on a disturbing development: bosses who use their foreign workers to gamble vicariously at casinos. Employers typically provide each worker with
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Little rest for Singapore’s silent army
“You cannot choose your food… I will decide the type of food to buy for you. You cannot use the washing machine or dryer… you must hand wash your own clothes and bed sheets. And
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TWC2 featured in Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao
Chinese-language morning daily Lianhe Zaobao devoted a half page to Transient Workers Count Too in their edition of Monday, October 31, 2011. Describing TWC2 as an organisation that extends a helping hand to migrant workers,
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Fact sheet: Workmen’s compensation for traffic accidents
The scope of the Workmen’s Injury Compensation Act includes death and injury sustained while travelling in employer-provided vehicles, but not in public-transport vehicles. Section 3, subsection 2 of the Act expressly says: 3 (2) An accident
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Vincent Wijeysingha leaves TWC2
For immediate release, 29 October 2011 Dr Vincent Wijeysingha has resigned of his own accord from his position as Executive Director of TWC2 with effect from 30 October 2011. The Executive Committee understands that he
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HOME lodges complaints about inadequate medical leave
Sunday Times, October 9, 2011, had a full-page feature about an issue that TWC2 has also noticed to be increasing in frequency — doctors in private practice giving workers who have been injured in workplace
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Debts and dreams: Singapore’s migrant workers
International news network CNN carried a story titled Debts and dreams: Singapore’s migrant workers on October 7, 2011. See http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/07/business/singapore-migrants/index.html. Opening with a scene from TWC2’s Cuff Road Project — our daily soup kitchen —
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Ganging Up
By Ramesh Companies are using gangsters to intimidate, threaten and to ultimately send ‘troublesome’ workers home. Ali (not his real name) has seen better days. He wanders the labyrinthine alleys of Little India in search
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Rare instances of domestic workers getting pregnant is no reason to deny them a day off – John Gee
John Gee responded to a letter in the October 4, 2011 edition of the Straits Times: Dear ST, Madam Chua Lai Keow certainly had a bad experience with her domestic worker who became pregnant, but
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Good to see action being taken against non-payment of salaries — John Gee
This is the unedited version of a letter sent to the editor of Straits Times Forum on September 30, 2011, in relation to an article that appeared in the paper the same day (see summary):
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Two who remain inside
Up till then, it was a quiet morning at TWC2’s office. Up till when the phone rang. On the other side was a woman whose voice told of deep concern. Mrs K (not her real
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The New Paper covers Debbie Fordyce’s hospitality to injured workers
TWC2 Executive Committee member Debbie Fordyce was featured in a two-page spread in The New Paper, September 30, 2011. The story’s focus was on her extending hospitality to injured migrant workers, letting them stay with
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Indonesian workers’ journey in photographs
“Oh yes, and the prints you see here are for sale,” Sim Chi Yin said, almost as an afterthought to the speech she had just made, launching her book The Long Road Home, “and the
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Fact sheet: Retention of passports and important personal documents
It is against the law for employers and agents to retain another person’s passport without “reasonable excuse”. Passports Act, Section 47, subsection (5) says: 47 (5) If — (a) a person has or retains possession
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Employer underpaid me $21,000, says worker
In the one-and-a-half years working in Singapore, Rashid said he was short-paid by $21,000. This arose out of the way the employer computed his salary, which appears to be in violation of the Employment Act.
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False employment contract showed a lower salary, claim 11 workers
They had complained to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) that their employer had forged (in their words) their employment contracts, but ministry officials said they had to support their allegation with a police report. The
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crUX revamps TWC2’s website
The volunteering spirit was in full flow the weekend of 17 and 18 Sept at crUX. Over 20 IT professionals devoted part of their weekend (some of them all weekend), coming together to develop a
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Left for dead, Jitu finds his feet again
By Spiegel Back home in Shariatpur, Bangladesh, he left behind a wife and four young, school-going children. Far away in Singapore, he sought a better living. If only for just eight months, he did find
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Fact sheet: Work permit holders have lowest crime rate of three categories
There is a common idea that migrant workers are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in Singapore. When, in 2008, some residents in the Serangoon Gardens area expressed their opposition to a dormitory for
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Foreign domestic workers and their employers generally happy, says MOM from a 2010 survey
Foreign domestic workers (FDW) expressed high levels of satisfaction with working in Singapore, reported the Ministry of Manpower, based on a survey it conducted in 2010. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10
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Where fish come from, labour laws don’t go
Manuel, Roland and Isidoro had waited 13 months and 15 days for the opportunity. At last, after bobbing about the Pacific and Indian Oceans, never seeing land, the fishing trawler they were on sailed into
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Fact sheet: Overstaying by more than 90 days can lead to caning
Singapore’s Immigration Act specifies that persons overstaying their visas or equivalent permits are liable for judicial caning if they overstay by more than 90 days. There are exceptions pertaining to age. Women are also not
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‘We almost had to pull him off the plane’
For months, Hafeez suffered in silence. His employer had deducted S$500 a month from his already pathetic wage of $22 a day working as a forklift driver and general labourer at a glass supply firm.
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Exploitation of migrant workers does not serve Singapore’s best interests
Here are five reasons why the exploitation of low-wage migrant workers hurts Singaporeans’ interests. Wages are depressed When employers get away with paying extremely low wages, or worse, promising low wages, but in actual fact
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Discrimination against women migrant workers and human trafficking in Singapore
The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) compiled this shadow report on Singapore for presentation to the United Nations committee charged with overseeing the implementation of the Convention
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What’s been said about day off for FDWs
Over the years, TWC2 has collected some figures relating to the issue of a weekly day off for domestic workers. — Sunday Times, 28/7/2002: ‘Most foreign maids happy working here’ Dawn Wong and Lee Hui
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Employers will not lose security bond if FDW gets pregnant – MOM
One of the commonest reasons given by employers for not giving a day off to the domestic workers employed by them is “I might lose my security bond.” They say that their FDW (Foreign Domestic
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Made to Work: Attitudes towards granting regular days off to migrant domestic workers in Singapore
Foreign domestic workers in Singapore work an average of 14 hours per day, and only 12% have at least one day off per week. Employers who give their foreign domestic worker (FDW) a day off
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On human trafficking – Singapore falls short of international protocol
TWC2 has worked with others to oppose trafficking since 2006. From our first involvement with this issue, we thought that it was vital for Singapore to change its official view of what trafficking is if
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Support the Domestic Workers’ Convention
Statement issued by representatives of 37 organisations meeting in Singapore (including TWC2) calls for regional support for a Domestic Workers’ Convention when it comes to a decision at the International Labour Conference in June: Click
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Dear Diary (3)
The following is an extract from a journal written by a foreign domestic worker in Singapore. This is the third in a series. For their privacy, TWC2 has replaced names and removed references to dates
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Dear Diary (2)
The following is an extract from a journal written by a foreign domestic worker in Singapore. This is the second in a series. For their privacy, TWC2 has replaced names and removed references to dates
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Dear Diary (1)
The following story is an extract from a journal written by a foreign domestic worker in Singapore. This is the first of the series. For their privacy, TWC2 has replaced names and removed references to
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Justice Delayed, Justice Denied
This report outlines the types of problems faced by low-wage migrant workers in Singapore working in the construction, shipyard, shipbuilding, cleaning and food services industries, in seeking redress when they are injured or mistreated. The report
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Support the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers
TWC2 calls for Singapore to support the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 7th December 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Singapore, December 8th, 2010:
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Gambling: Should migrant workers be barred from casinos?
When they first opened, there was some excitement over the issue of migrant workers going to Singapore’s casinos. During the first week after the Resorts World casino opened on Sentosa Island, there were reports that
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Helpline caller forced to choose between family and conscience
Family members often have different views on migrant workers, especially on the treatment of their own domestic workers. This short story by Anne Bergen-Aurand, first published in our members’ newsletter of March-April 2010, recalls a
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Workers should be transported in enclosed vehicles
For immediate release 28 June 2010 Three Chinese workers died when a lorry in which they were being carried skidded and crashed onto its side on the morning of June 22nd. Some among the 14
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Employment Agencies Act and Rules: Proposals for amendment 2010
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) brought together a group of lawyers who worked on these proposals for amending the legislation and rules governing the agencies that handle the placement of many migrant workers with employers
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Proposals for the revision of the Employment Agencies Act
The Employment Agencies Act is to be reviewed and amended this year (2010). A TWC2 legal group began work in 2009 on proposals for how the Act and Rules issued under it might be amended
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Employment agency licensing regulations prohibit holding workers’ passports
In response to the article Employer’s passport to trouble, published in Today, January 25, 2010, John Gee wrote to journalist Esther Ng: Dear Esther, I hope that you’ve had mostly positive reactions to your article
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Two employment agencies fined for keeping workers’ passports
Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong revealed in Parliament that two employment agencies were fined for refusing to return passports to migrant workers, reported Today on January 25, 2010. The ministry further reiterated to Mediacorp
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Cruelty through starvation
From TWC2 members’ newsletter, Sept-Oct 2009: Sometimes TWC2 has calls about domestic workers who don’t get enough food to eat. There are not many – just eight last year, for example – but we know
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Safer transport for workers draws mixed reviews
By Er Yanbing, a student at NTU, and reproduced with her kind consent. The ramped up measures announced last month by the government to enhance the safety of workers transported on lorries have sparked mixed
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Indonesian Domestic Workers in Singapore: Experiences of recruitment, training and return
In 2008, there were over 180,000 domestic workers in Singapore. The largest numbers came from the Philippines and Indonesia. In this report, Transient Workers Count Too presents the results of a survey that focuses on
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No comparison between lack of safety in worker transport and the standards in military transport
Some people who felt strongly about the issue for safe transport for workers started Project Humane Transport in 2009 to raise support for change. The media reported on migrant workers and decent transport, especially when
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Debt, Delays, Deductions: Wage issues faced by foreign domestic workers in Singapore
The ‘3 Ds’ report (produced in September 2006) looked at the level of debt carried by domestic workers newly arrived in Singapore as a result of the placement costs they bear. It also reports on
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Stop transporting workers in open-backed trucks, urges TWC2
Tnis letter was sent to the Straits Times on May 19, 2009: — Dear ST, It was saddening to read your report of the accident in
which four men were killed and six injured on Monday
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Give the maid a break
This article appeared in ‘Today’ on August 3, 2006 and is reproduced as published. Give the maid a break The issue of a regular rest day needs to be legislated, not left to private contract
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Human trafficking: The numbers don’t add up
Today, February 5, 2008, by Leong Wee Keat Link: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/236052.asp They are two different sets of statistics, painting two very different pictures. According to the Philippine Embassy, in an annual report recently submitted to the
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A day off for all
Remarks by then TWC2 president, John Gee, at a forum organised by students at National University of Singapore, 9th November 2007: ‘The Maltreatment of Migrant Workers: Myths, Causes and Consequences’. Today, I want to speak
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