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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 fell apart in October 2012 when her employer suddenly took her to MOM with her
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 of migrant workers -- their chosen topic for their masters dissertation in urban planning. TWC2
Widespread but unnecessary reliance on lawyers
Click to see a larger image 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 procedures. However, if the claimant wants to
Sabuj paid agent $4,500, then faced additional demands
Md Sabuj (right) with his friend Nurabi Sarkar (left) 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 ended up with nowhere
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 way to a public hospital does he get enough medical leave to make it a
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 hopes have yet to be realised; instead, Monir now finds himself S$5,000 in debt. Recalling
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 social worker, "They were very fair, smooth-skinned and good-looking, completely different from the sunburnt construction
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 which would take them to the worksite. Only, this Wednesday, 30 January 2013, the lorry
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 new way to deprive a worker of his just salary. Elias Sherajul Islam, 25, was employed
Nearly half of workers interviewed paid agents before getting confirmation of jobs
Three of the eighteen workers interviewed in our straw poll 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 of talking, making