All items filed under News
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 abusive jobs on fishing trawlers, including Eril Andrade who died at sea. Court papers in the
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. Here, employers can choose to pay employees in cash, and it is fairly common for
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 young children. They are employed by families with at least one child under the age
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 include a review of legislation and legislative history governing salary and injury claims in Labour
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 could purchase tickets and donate them back. Each donated ticket will be used to sponsor
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 Palermo Protocol. This is the key international legal instrument for combatting trafficking. Though just over
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 mandatory Stop Work Order when 3-hour average PSI readings, issued hourly, exceed 200, or when
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 story can be found by clicking the thumbnail below: Among the bin centres visited by
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 Mr Alex Au suggested that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) mandate electronic payment of salaries
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 job offer had been properly documented through an In-principle Approval for a Work Permit (IPA)