By Davina Tham Ever since recent events in Little India (see Riot in Little India after bus knocks down pedestrian), the tendency to depict migrant labourers as a matter of statistics, a numbered but faceless crowd, has only worsened: 28 charged, 53 deported and another 200 "issued a formal police advisory" (Today newspaper, 18 Dec
By Eitan "One day, boss face change," says Abdul Khaium. "Somebody senior talk to boss, then boss become like angry me." Abdul Khaium does not know the reason even now, but his story is one of an employer who seems to have been patient and understanding until that day. Once the attitude changed, however, it
By Shri Devvi Elangovan “Many pain...I cried because a lot in pain”, describes Miah Mohammad Soman of the moments following his accident. He looks uncomfortable, as he sits in front of us with his left shoulder slouched lower and seemingly stiff. He was rushed to a private clinic in the Soon Lee area, but he
By Benjamin Wong In part 1 was the story of two workers who were worried that their medical records did not correctly capture the circumstances surrounding their workplace accidents. In both cases, the doctors didn't ask the patients how the injury occurred; representatives of the company spoke to the doctors instead. But employers have vested
By Benjamin Wong Injuries are the most common type of case Transient Workers Count Too encounters. For workers as with anyone, getting injured is far from a pleasant experience, to put it euphemistically. But as the many stories published have documented, the accident itself is often only the start of a worker's problems and difficulties
By Joyce Wong Where is next month’s money going to come from? Sitting in front of me is a very young, clean-shaven man. He is neatly dressed with his hair slightly touching his collar. Some would call him good-looking. He is here for his dinner at TWC2's soup kitchen when we ask to interview him.
By Gabriel Liong After working a long shift plus an additional four hours of overtime, Sahajan was looking forward to a restful night. It was 9.15pm. His day at the shipyard had begun at 7.30am. Climbing into the back of his company’s lorry, Sahajan made himself comfortable for the ride back to the dormitory. Little
By Keith W Workers who have worked in Singapore for a few years tend to know a bit more about their rights. They also know where to get assistance. They are less likely to suffer in silence when their bosses try to take advantage of them. Parvez Late Sona Miah has been in Singapore for
By Fuxiong "Now you see, my finger swollen," says Arangulavan Sri Ram, "but no more appointment at Mount E." Mount Elizabeth Hospital at Novena was where he had been treated post-accident, but with no further follow-up appointments scheduled, Ram went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital instead last week. Two fingers on his right hand have
By Davina Tham When injured workers come to Transient Workers Count Too, the sorry tales they bring are usually about trying to get proper medical treatment and difficulty in getting reluctant employers to foot the bills as they should by law. Rarely is there someone like Lakshmanan Sasikumar, whose employer seems to have checked all
