All Articles
Confidence-destroying interactions with doctors leave Shamim with little trust in compensation system
By Alston Ng, based on an interview in January 2018 In the midst of casual conversations with some usual faces at Alankar Restaurant, Hossen Mohammed Shamim, a 29-year-old Bangladeshi who has not worked for about a year and a half, interjects, “You want interview? Come, I give you interview, you
Two injured workers provide detailed accounts of a law firm’s practices
This is a long record (approximately 2,800 words) of what two foreign workers told TWC2 about their experiences with the same law firm. They had engaged the law firm following worksite accidents, but were soon unhappy with the relationship. Both workers either experienced or heard that representatives of the law firm
Majority of Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore “did not get enough to eat”, says researcher
"The majority of respondents did not get enough to eat, regularly ate a limited variety of food, and often went to bed hungry in employers’ homes," reported Charlene Mohammed in her research paper publicly available at the University of Victoria website. The researcher is with the university's Department of Anthropology,
Mohan feels more secure having a lawyer for his injury claim
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in December 2017 What is the role of a lawyer? While we struggle to form an encompassing definition of the profession, our foreign workers seem to have a fixed perception of them as their all-knowing protector. At TWC2, the vast majority of injured
TWC2 submits proposals for improving Singapore’s Employment Act
The Singapore government invited submissions for proposed amendments to the Employment Act. TWC2 made a proposal centred on five areas which will benefit the most number of workers. As our submission makes clear, TWC2’s proposed amendments are envisioned to support all employees in Singapore. Even if some of our ideas
Eager to go home after 15 jobless months
By Aaron Chua, based on an interview in December 2017 Just look at this!”, Alex exclaims, holding up one of the meal cards that are issued by TWC2 to workers in need. The surprise: The date of injury — 20 September 2016. It has been 15 months since. The card
Grappling with trafficking is like nailing jelly to a wall
Former president of TWC2, John Gee, was a panellist at a human trafficking forum at the National University of Singapore's Stephen Riady Global Centre on Saturday 27 January 2018. In his talk, titled 'Nailing jelly to the wall', he drew attention to how terms and labels can be misconstrued, and
Crash! Bang! Boss hears windfall from the heavens
Martin* was on his second day at his new job. He was employed as a construction worker, but he had let his boss know that he held a Singapore driving licence. His boss asked him to drive a lorry. Martin hit another car; the lorry suffered scratches. Thankfully, no one
Shariful’s case shows how injury leads to poorer housing
By Tristan Powell-Odden, based on an interview in December 2017 Despite being in pain from an injury, Shariful had to look for new accommodation and worry about how to pay for it. Housing issues shouldn't have to complicate an injured worker's life, but they do. Shariful's job was to blast
A look back at job mobility policies 2011 – 2017
There has been a gradual liberalisation over the last few years allowing construction workers to transfer to new jobs. This paper takes stock of evolving government policy in this area. Transient Workers Count Too has argued for a long time that retaining workers with experience in Singapore will be good for