All Articles
Lifting supervisor dropped by company after he took a stand
By Fuxiong The banana was meant to be eaten, but in telling me his story, Shamsuddoha was waving it and hitting the table with it. It was soon bruised. He was too agitated to eat, particularly when he recounted the moment when he confronted his site manager. "Then who is
Overhauling Singapore’s migrant labour system – an alternative plan
By Alex Au Many stories on the website of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) tell of the abuses inflicted on migrant workers in Singapore. TWC2 holds the view that the regulatory system governing the recruitment and control of foreign labour lies at the root of these abuses. Fortunately, many employers
Through Singapore employer, lured to Cambodia with fake job offer
By Nissa Mai The flight from Singapore to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, wasn't long — just under two hours — but for Margarette, the journey represented a whole new beginning, a fresh take on life. After years of domestic labor, she was finally going to begin her career in the hospitality
From sharks to ice-cream via peace, love and sponsorship
By TK “Wow…… surprise. Very nice place. We will enjoy the place very much,” exclaimed Amir Khan, when he heard that Discover Singapore would be organizing an outing to Sentosa S.E.A. aquarium. Since the launch of Discover Singapore in May 2013, outing destinations have typically been free public spaces such
About 70,000 workers live on construction sites
Manpower minister Tan Chuan-jin told parliament through a written reply that about 70,000 workers (presumably male construction workers) live in temporary housing located at construction sites. Most foreign workers live in purpose-built dormitories but around 20 per cent - or 70,000 - live on construction sites. The figures were released
26 to 40 percent of male workers suffer illegal ‘savings money’ deduction
A new survey of nearly three hundred male migrant workers found that 26 to 40 percent of them suffered a pay deduction commonly known as 'savings money' -- roughly one in three workers. The deduction averaged $50 a month. An earlier survey (see: One third of male migrant workers aren't
Your condition is serious, you must go to hospital, says polyclinic. “I no money,” says Kamal
By Stéphanie Psarski This testimony is a very good and heart warming example of how, to workers, Transient Workers Count Too makes a difference even in the tiniest thing. Injured on his back in July 2012, Kamal Mostafa has been waiting in Singapore for his case to be settled by
Lebanese court rules that employer must return domestic worker’s passport
With permission from The Legal Agenda, TWC2 is pleased to reproduce an article from their English website discussing an important court ruling, recently announced in Beirut, Lebanon. The ruling discusses major issues: challenging the widespread practice of withholding passports the problematic nature of the sponsorship system violation of fundamental right to
Genius Engineering, part 2: Latif’s opinion of Singapore takes a dive
By Isabel Chew “Before I always think Singaporean very good but today I see I cannot take it lah. Because salary don’t give.” As I wrap up my interview with Latif, the morose Bangladeshi worker shares with me his feelings about the seemingly hopeless situation. He has not been paid
Genius Engineering, part 1: the first group comes to TWC2
A large group of workers from Genius Engineering approached TWC2 for help over salary non-payment. Volunteer Meera Rajah meets two of them. By Meera Rajah “Next week… next week… wait”, Rafiqul and Hossain are now – unfortunately – accustomed to this unvarying refrain. It has been three months and four