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Ceiling worker wants out of his miserable job, but how?
By Nadia Irwanto Ask Singaporeans what they love and food is bound to come up. Singapore is known for its diversity of not just race and heritage, but also cuisine, and Singaporeans will brave any kind of weather to travel and queue for their food. From hawker fare to high-end
Happy National Day, Singapore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BirHyB4uoHM Video by Nicole Ng Sheikh Mizan found himself in a seriously disadvantaged position -- his employer flatly told him he could expect no compensation for losing a finger at work. Yet in his story is something for Singaporeans to celebrate this National Day.
Seeing Singapore on TV, Rashid set his heart on coming
By Rabin Kok “When I small boy, I watching Singapore on TV. That time I thinking, Singapore very nice place.” Rashid Harun Or is a well-built man with ruddy looks, scraggly long hair and a grin which seems chiselled onto his face. He looks contemplatively into the distance, and his
MOM’s groundless case takes two years out of Shahidulla’s life, part 1
By Seema Punwani Shahidulla Md Anser Ali knew the safety rules. The job needed four men so that there would be enough eyes to watch the delicate operation from multiple angles. He was assigned only two. He tried to explain to his superior the importance of adhering to safety protocols
MOM’s groundless case takes two years out of Shahidulla’s life, part 2
By Seema Punwani Continued from part 1. When truth wins, you hear drum rolls. You do mental cartwheels. Your faith in justice is restored. And you heave a sigh of relief that after all the obstacles and the insurmountable tension, you emerged victorious. Because truth prevailed. As Part 1 explained,
MOM’s groundless case takes two years out of Shahidulla’s life, part 3
Continued from part 2. Soon after his acquittal on the first of three charges, Shahidulla got another shock. His key witness, crane operator Hassan, was called up by the case officer at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for an interview, and the next thing Shahidulla's lawyer heard was that Hassan
Meherul barred from working while his employer stonewalls his injury claim
By Seema Punwani Workplace injuries are not uncommon. But while for many of us in office jobs it is restricted to the occasional paper cut or stubbed toe, for workers in the shipping ad construction field, injuries can be life threatening. And after the injury, comes the trauma of dealing with
Jahidul says manager took away all his medical documents
By Eugene Teo Islam Mohammad Jahidul was a machine operator at a marine company’s workshop. On 5 November 2015, Jahidul’s index finger suffered a deep cut while he was operating a metal cutting machine, sending blood spurting in all directions. An agonizingly long wait ensued; it was only three hours
Boss brazenly asked Hasan to pay for job
By Aruj Shukla It has long been a well-known fact that migrant workers in Singapore need to pay an exorbitant amount of money as agent fees to the middlemen based in their respective home countries. Stories about the possibility of the employers colluding with the agent and taking a sizeable
Monir says he liked the dorm where his company put him up, so we ask him to describe it
By Gek Han It doesn't occur to me to ask Hussain Monir if his bed came with a mattress until a senior volunteer does (beds and mattresses go together, right?). Nothing, Monir says. Not quite believing my ears, I tap the table to ask if his bed was as hard,