By Shahnaz What does Mattaparthi Kumaraswamy have to show for the six years he has worked? Very little. When he goes back to India, he will have no savings, hardly any prospect of a job, yet there's an extended family to feed. Has he seen the sights of Singapore, gone shopping in Orchard, taken a holiday? The
By TK “The students had a blast!" said Professor Anju Mary Paul. "Their interactions with the workers both in Little India and today have fundamentally changed their views about migrant workers in Singapore.” Paul is from Yale-NUS College's Division of Social Sciences, and was speaking to TWC2 after the college hosted a visit by migrant
By Benjamin Wong Arumugam Ramachandran first came to Singapore four years ago. For three years Ramachandran worked injury free, but seven months ago, during a routine construction job, Ramachandran injured his knee. At first, he was unwilling to report it, and tried to carry on working, hoping the pain would go away eventually. For the
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 into his job as a
By T K “Photo photo”, the men called out to the TWC2 volunteers to help take pictures, as they lined up beside the movie director, chests out, shoulders squared and faces to the lens. This was at the screening of "Television (2012)" by Bangladeshi film director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. The film was among several in the listing
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 Au. "Some employers take advantage
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 robber. Saju, 36, feels trapped
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 MOM. I don't want other
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 Indian and Bangladeshi workers to
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 and was attended to by
