Articles > Stories
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
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
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
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