All Articles
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 the many stories published have documented, the accident itself is often only the start of
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 a chance to speak. Yet, it is rare that the boss or company representative witnessed
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 would call him good-looking. He is here for his dinner at TWC2's soup kitchen when
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. Climbing into the back of his company’s lorry, Sahajan made himself comfortable for the ride
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 leave for injuries: Bosses' reported that Bosses are crying foul that foreign workers are getting
Do workers exaggerate their injuries? Part 2
The scab on one of Das Thiru's knees about three weeks after the accident 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
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 summary of both stories, see Menton Technologies' failure to pay salaries in the news. Alex
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, the activity was meant as a lead-up to the annual Lasallian camp for student leaders,
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 in silence when their bosses try to take advantage of them. Parvez Late Sona Miah
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 and whether breakfast has been catered. They say Yes to both. We're glad to hear