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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 favour of the employer VGP Corp Ltd. But the High Court, in a written decision
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 worker issues are quite distinct from the salary non-payment issues. For the latter, the recommendations
$1.50 an hour is just too little for anyone
Sunday Times, 9 February 2014 carried a feature article by Radha Basu, leading with a figure that Bangladeshi worker Hussain Iqbal had given TWC2: $1.50. That was the hourly rate that his employer paid him for nearly a year, despite a document issued by the Ministry of Manpower confirming that
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 mobility among work permit holders This is key starting point for the oft-stated desire to
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 was a 36-year-old Chinese national working on a project on Sentosa. Ten others were injured
Additional steps needed beyond making itemised pay slips mandatory
Media Statement For immediate release 14 January 2014 On 13 January 2014, the Ministry of Manpower issued a media statement "Tripartite Guidelines on Issuance of Itemised Payslips". Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) have been highlighting for years the need to make itemised payslips mandatory, as an essential step in combating
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) and two students from Singapore Management University who recently did a project relating to trafficking.
“We allow legal exploitation,” says TWC2 president at forum
The panel comprised (L-R) Braema Mathi (Maruah), Russell Heng (TWC2), Siew Kum Hong (Maruah/moderator), Jolovan Wham (Workfair) and Vincent Law (Healthserve) 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.
Soul searching follows migrant riot – Aljazeera
A street in Little India. Photo: Reuters/Ajlazeera 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 believe that chronic maltreatment and disempowerment
Rare riot exploded in Singapore – Life Week Magazine
Ambulance set ablaze. Photo: Straits Times 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 on Sunday 8 December 2013. Translated into