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Akkabar‘s rage against 3-year wait for compensation
It by no means applies to all migrants we talk to at TWC2, but anger simmers very close to the surface in some of the men we encounter. Not all. Most are unbelievably patient and humble while waiting for the slow, ponderous wheels of bureaucracy to turn. But Akkabar isn’t
Three new volunteers join monthly outreach to Chinese workers
The four young volunteers shown above were with TWC2 social worker Kenneth Soh doing outreach to Chinese workers last Sunday. Chloe has been with the team for a while but the other three are new. It was at first a wet day, but by the afternoon, the sun had come
Boomi’s African odyssey, part 1
This is the first of six parts: The house in Pattukottai, Tamil Nadu, is unfinished, with reinforced steel bars poking out from the flat concrete roof. There are walls, ceiling, and floors of rough concrete, windows and doorways with frames, but no windows or doors, water or fixtures. It provides shelter
Plank gave way under his feet, while worker was 25 metres above ground, part 1
"Look, my hand like this, cannot move," said Moriddul. His fingers could move, but he couldn't flex or rotate his wrist. "When did this happen?" your writer asked him. October 2011, he said. He was a "supplied worker", seconded by his boss to another contractor's construction site. On the fateful
EZ-link top-up scheme makes hospital visits so much easier
"I no have money," said Hashem. "How to take bus?" "So you mean you didn't go to your hospital for your appointment?" I asked. "You must go. Otherwise, how are you going to get well?" "I go. I walk there." A quick estimation of the distance from the dinky hole
Translating humanity
Commentary by Jamie Lin Weirong Humanitarian organisations such as TWC2 have long been advocating for the proper treatment of foreign workers in Singapore. The appeals against the abuse of foreign labour often revolve around notions of ‘justice’, ‘fairness’ and ‘dignity’, principles with an obvious enough value. Though these workers might not look
Ball retrievers sent out of bounds
Everything was wrong about Majid's job except one thing: he was earning the kind of money he had hoped for, and he was being paid on time. Having invested about $4,400 in recruiting agent's fees to land the job in Singapore, now making $900 to $950 a month meant that
Trafficking and the media
‘If you are a media worker or a person whose work involves contact with the media, how do you deal with the issue of trafficking in an ethical way? Trafficking stories often involve such appalling conditions and events that they are real attention grabbers. They can appeal to those working
Proposals for the amendment of Regulations issued under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act
The EFMA governs the employment of foreign staff in Singapore. The great majority of non-Singaporean employees are low-salaried migrant workers.Out of over one million non-Singaporeans employed in the country in 2011, 870,000 are low paid workers considered to be semi-skilled who are present on work permits. Perhaps another 100,000 are
Proposals for the amendment of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA)
The EFMA governs the employment of foreign personnel in Singapore. The great majority of non-Singaporean employees are low-salaried migrant workers. TWC2 brought together a legal team to work on proposals for the amendment of EFMA and the regulations issued under it – specifically, the different types of work pass. TWC2