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 Migrant Workers Centre (MWC), a bipartite NGO set up by employers and unions, as well as the Cuff Road Project – a “soup kitchen” for injured foreign workers – run by Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2). Both of these NGOs render humanitarian assistance, such as providing accommodation and free meals to foreign workers who were awaiting resolution of employment-related disputes or work injury compensation claims. These volunteers who continue to undertake these activities with passion and selflessness, in spite of the other demands on their time, have earned my respect and I would like to pay tribute to their efforts. I am glad I met this dedicated group of individuals who not only have a lot of heart, but are clearly working out their convictions in a practical manner.
The full blogpost can be seen here: http://momsingapore.blogspot.com/2011/11/engagement-enforcement.html
The blogpost also spoke about his team’s checks on substandard housing for workers with a few pictures of places he found “abysmal” and “overcrowded”.
The leading Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao picked up the story and featured it on the front page of its edition November 18, 2011. At the tail end of its story about the Minister of State’s blogpost, Zaobao also quoted from TWC2’s press release. Zaobao’s final paragraph said this:
Translation: TWC2 welcomes the official concern for foreign workers’ accommodation but Debbie Fordyce, an Exco member of the organization, holds the view that besides concern for the average foreign worker, the authorities should also pay attention to that minority who are in dispute with or abandoned by their employers. These people find it very hard to continue living in the company hostels, especially those who have work injuries. The latter are in greater need for help.