All Articles
Foreign workers chained by debt, governments have a moral duty to act
By Kimberley Ng In recent years, Singapore’s slowing economy has meant fewer construction and marine sector jobs for migrant workers. What few might realise is that recruitment costs have risen prohibitively through the same period. The two are not unrelated: it is a matter of demand for work outstripping supply
Reflections: Access to medical care
Most interns who spend 6 - 9 weeks with TWC2 are asked to wrap up their internship with an essay on a specific topic. Nikie spent May to July 2016 with us assisting with casework and the Labour Court Research Project. In the process, she came across many foreign workers who
Boss cancels worker’s surgery, worker loses flexibility and feeling in thumb
By Audrey Tan He took on a new job with high hopes, but now finds himself at the lowest point of his life. Ragunathan Kaliyarasan, 28, is jobless and struggling to recover after a workplace injury in March 2016. His predicament tells the story of a dismissive employer. “I want(ed)
Reflections: Housing and sustenance for Special Pass men
Most interns who spend 6 - 9 weeks with TWC2 are asked to wrap up their internship with an essay on a specific topic. Moe spent April and May 2016 with us assisting with casework and the Cuff Road Project. In the process, he came across many foreign workers who
If “boss say carry more, I also cannot say no,” — Imran injures his back despite ministry’s safe load limit
By Teo Yi Ning It was only his third month working at a concrete casting company when Sheikh Mohammad Imran hurt his back. The concrete slab that he was carrying landed on his back when he lost his footing on a slippery floor at his worksite, leaving him with intolerable
Islam Mahabub, injured, unable to work, fears for his children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmuX0UUq5Jk Video by Nicole Ng, text by Colin Ng, with contributions by Alex Au For most construction workers like Islam Mahabub, a job here comes at a hefty price. Based on casual reports collected by TWC2 from among the thousands of workers we see each year, the cost of a
Why did you choose to work in Singapore? We ask Jakir
By Gek Han Family was the only consideration when Jakir decided to work overseas. Jakir was fifteen when his father died, and Jakir’s elder brother was not earning enough to support his family of six. But Singapore wasn’t Jakir’s first choice of destination. Jakir had wanted to go to the
Workers who find their doctors and lawyers adding to their problems
By Pat Meyer At TWC2, we expect to be helping workers with employer-related problems. But at least as often, we find ourselves dealing with problems created by doctors and lawyers. It was raining hard Tuesday night as TWC2’s meal programme in Little India was about to begin. One of the
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