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TSMP Law’s zoo trip lifts a hundred spirits, part 1
By Rachel Hui. Photos by Alex Tay. On 26 August 2012, TSMP Law Corporation sponsored a trip to the zoo for a hundred Bangladeshi and Indian migrant workers receiving assistance from TWC2, along with ten TWC2 volunteers. Arriving early at the designated pick-up location on a Sunday morning to ensure
Boss wants to cancel Work Permit because worker “didn’t pay agent”
By Debbie and Alex After a full day's work on 17 July 2012, Rabel (not his real name) was called to the office to see his boss. "Boss say I have to leave company," he told Transient Workers Count Too. The employer asked him to sign a piece of paper
Kabir’s roller-coaster, part 2
Continued from part 1. Kabir Mohammad Sana Ulla Miah got a reprieve. At the request of a senior officer of the Ministry of Manpower, TWC2's social worker contacted him just as he was despondently packing his bag to go to the airport, and told him he should not board the
Kabir’s roller-coaster, part 1
The worker at the other end of the phone line was extremely upset, and TWC2 social worker Raymond Ang had a hard time calming him down. Kabir Mohammad Sana Ulla Miah had been given an air ticket to go home to Bangladesh that very evening (Monday, 23 July 2012). Earlier,
The lost boys part 3: The meeting after the attack
Continued from part 2 This is the last of three parts: A week after the attack, which left Nurul with a bloodied right eye, I sat down with all three men to discuss the events of the last few weeks. Kamaruzzaman won’t talk to me about what happened in Geylang,
Two realities: Fate and disappointment
By Xinlin On 7 August 2010, Shohidul Islam Late Abdul Jalil, then aged 31, fell about two metres from a ladder while doing work on an airconditioning duct. He was hospitalised at Changi General Hospital for – he thinks – seven days. But he remembers nothing of the first five
From little finger to bigger mess
Through a Tamil interpreter, Pragash told TWC2 that his employer asked him to sign two letters, both written in English. He had no idea what was said on them, nor was he given a copy. He signed. Why?!#! asked your friendly TWC2 volunteer. Because in similar situations previously, he explained,
The lost boys, part 2: Homelessness and jobs in the sex industry
Continued from part 1. This the second of three parts: In theory the Special Pass is a good idea – workers get to stay in Singapore until their disputes are settled and possibly to retrieve compensation from employers, but the extended period of uncertainty is draining on a guy's spirits
Boomi’s African odyssey, part 6
Continued from part 5. This is the last of six parts: Their return to Cotonou was greeted with more despair when the others saw that Boomi had flown nowhere. They appreciated that Rajeesh had truly believed that the plan would be realized and saw no point in heaping more pain
Jobs portal launched for direct matching between domestic workers and employers
By Spiegel Foreign domestic workers in Singapore now can turn to a new Internet-based service for cutting middlemen costs when seeking switches to fresh employers here. DWJobs.org, a maids’ job portal launched a few weeks ago, can also help employers avoid paying hundreds of dollars in transfer fees to maid