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A million thanks for myriad acts of kindess
We have a lot of pictures like the one above, showing a volunteer doing something for a worker, in this case, registering him for our free meals programme (Cuff Road Project). Indeed, our volunteers are often very busy. Without them, much of our work simply couldn't be done. But this
No lorry means no doctor
By J Wen In a recession, should a company prioritise cutting costs over the health of its employees? One engineering firm in Aljunied seems to think so, after leaving one of their injured workers with a twisted, bloodied finger for more than five hours before he was sent to the
The name of the devil is process: how regulatory process creates and sustains the disempowerment and injustices faced by migrant labour
For a few years now, Transient Workers Count Too has been asked to give a talk to journalists gathered at the annual Asia Journalism Fellowship. The following videos are adapted from the talk that Alex Au gave on 8 September 2016. There were about 20 journalists in TWC2's Dayspace, from
Razib’s simple foot injury grows into a struggle for treatment, housing and money
By Seah Bei Ying A heavy steel rod smashed into Razibozzaman's right foot Saturday night, fracturing a bone within. Pain shot up, and would stay with him for over a week till he made his way, against his boss' wishes, to a proper hospital. This was the same boss who
Ayyan anxious and lost in his first hours after quitting
Not often do we get to interview a worker who has only walked out of his company the same day. Ranjana got this chance, and she takes us into his moment of anxiety and bewilderment. In the process, she explains why we need Little India as Little India. By Ranjana
Bleeding badly from injured hand, Juyel ferried from doctor to doctor
By De Sheng Poh “So many pain, so many blood.” remarked Juyel as he recounted his harrowing experience immediately following a serious injury sustained in the line of work. Earning an average of $1,200 a month, Md Juyel Hossain Md Abdul Hai, a Bangladeshi national, is the sole breadwinner of his
Employer ordered to pay salaries, but MOM has no practical enforcement mechanism
By Saw Suhui Though armed with a set of court papers that ruled in their favour, Debnath Prantush and Islam Mohammed Shafiqul still could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, and had to approach TWC2 for help. They were colleagues a few months ago but together they
Broken arm left untreated for almost 24 hours
By Natalie Choy An unsightly line stretches along Bangladeshi national Sujel's left forearm. The 12-stitch surgical scar is large enough to be distracting. “Inside have long metal rod,”Broken he explains, as he gently presses on the stitched area to show me where the rod was surgically inserted. The 25-year-old, who
One in three foreign workers still not getting itemised payslips
Of over 500 Indian and Bangladeshi workers surveyed recently by Transient Workers Count Too, one in three reported that they were not getting itemised payslips from their employers. This represents quite a high degree of non-compliance with the Ministry of Manpower's new rule that took effect 1 April 2016. The
Hoping to go places, but stuck
By Kan Ren Jie Traffic jams are indeed a major source of irritation for many Singapore commuters. However, when I talk with two workers from Bangladesh, Pandit Rubel Chandra and Sofikul, they tell me that the jams that we have here are really nothing compared to the crazy traffic in