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Thamil borrowed from legal assistant to survive
By Max Ang The modern urban environment is a tough and unrelenting place where the simplest of needs is monetised. Money is needed in the exchange for basic necessities, such as food and shelter. Without it, one can starve amidst plenty. Such is the predicament of Perumal Thamilarasan. Two years
Over a year, the difference between $18 and $25 adds up to a lot of money
"You see my IPA," says Shipon as he leaves through a whole sheath of papers. "It say here my salary one month $650." The 'IPA' is the In-principle approval for a work permit and contains the terms of employment that the employer declares to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) at
Shoriful and Afroza marry by phone
Webmaster: Sometimes we need to be reminded that migrant workers may come from very different cultures. Shoriful's story about getting married may sound very strange, but is quite typical for men from Bangladesh. Money concerns also feature prominently, heightened by expectations that workers ought to be remitting large amounts of
Kabir refuses wrongly-calculated salary for nine months, now no job at all
By Lisa Li Before coming to Singapore, Kabir was promised that the job would pay $32 a day. But "when I start work , I no get 32 dollars, they pay only 28 dollars," he tells Transient Workers Count Too. "We hear of such problems quite frequently," says TWC2 vice-president Alex
Crime victim detained for months
By Keith W Yes, you read the headline right. The victim was detained -- so to speak. Muthunayagam Saju has been told by the police that he is not allowed to go home to India. He must remain in Singapore because they may need him in order to prosecute the
Gulam shoulders cost of hospital’s mix-up
Gulam Mustafa Zakir Hossain fears his work injury compensation claim may have been totally screwed up. He injured his right shoulder, but the medical report from West Point Hospital where he was initially treated mentions the left shoulder. "My left side no problem," he says. It has never been injured.
I told my kids: ‘Mummy is going to buy you lots of toys’
By Ghie Ghie Mosquera Harking back to those years when I was still in the Philippines and living with my family, those were the happiest days of my life. Living a simple life with special people around me is all I ever dreamed of. But, there were days where I
Having to write off $6,500, worker feels ‘heart pain’
By Keith W "Now I get less," says Prashath Ranthulan (not his real name). "Other worker, they take $3,000 and go back [home]. Agent give, but tell worker [if] take money, cannot go MOM." He was the only one to turn down the hush money. Why? "I want to complain
Plasterer will not get satisfaction
By Fuxiong Looking downcast, Jeyaraj (not his real name) recalls a recent meeting with his case officer at the Ministry of Manpower: "MOM officer also say, 'I understand boss alibaba, but cannot prove. If you want prove, I can help, but waiting long time.'" Alibaba is a commonly-used term among
Homeless Salauddin meets true generosity
By Max Ang Since an unfortunate incident at work injured his right middle finger, Mohammad Salauddin Abdul Awal has been unable to work. Without income, where will he find accommodation? Salauddin suffered the accident turning a bolt while fitting pipes at a shipyard. He informed his supervisor of his injury