TWC2 calls for Singapore to support the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 7th December 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Singapore, December 8th, 2010: There are now 214 million international migrants, according to the latest annual report of the International Organisation for Migration, and
When they first opened, there was some excitement over the issue of migrant workers going to Singapore’s casinos. During the first week after the Resorts World casino opened on Sentosa Island, there were reports that male migrant workers were ‘swarming’ it, grabbing free drinks and generally getting in the way of local gamblers – and,
On July 19, 2010,in the wake of yet another fatal accident, Minister for Transport Raymond Lim announced in Parliament that the deadline for previously-announced safety measures is to be brought forward. Here is a record of the July 19 statement in response of questions by members of parliament: --- 13. Mr Christopher de Souza asked
Family members often have different views on migrant workers, especially on the treatment of their own domestic workers. This short story by Anne Bergen-Aurand, first published in our members' newsletter of March-April 2010, recalls a difficulty faced by a caller to our helpline: TWC2's helpline frequently receives calls from “concerned others.” These are callers who
For immediate release 28 June 2010 Three Chinese workers died when a lorry in which they were being carried skidded and crashed onto its side on the morning of June 22nd. Some among the 14 survivors needed hospital treatment. The lorry crashed off the Pan-Island Expressway. TWC2 has argued strongly against transporting workers on the
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) brought together a group of lawyers who worked on these proposals for amending the legislation and rules governing the agencies that handle the placement of many migrant workers with employers every year. The format reproduces the Act and Regulations, with the proposals inserted into the test wherever appropriate. Download the
The Employment Agencies Act is to be reviewed and amended this year (2010). A TWC2 legal group began work in 2009 on proposals for how the Act and Rules issued under it might be amended to ensure improved protection of the rights and wellbeing of the migrant workers who agencies place in employment. The proposals
In response to the article Employer's passport to trouble, published in Today, January 25, 2010, John Gee wrote to journalist Esther Ng: Dear Esther, I hope that you've had mostly positive reactions to your article on the retention of migrant workers' passports by agents and employers. It is an issue that TWC2 has raised a
Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong revealed in Parliament that two employment agencies were fined for refusing to return passports to migrant workers, reported Today on January 25, 2010. The ministry further reiterated to Mediacorp that "Employers should not retain their foreign workers' passports without their consent." However, it is more often employers, rather than
In 2008, there were over 180,000 domestic workers in Singapore. The largest numbers came from the Philippines and Indonesia. In this report, Transient Workers Count Too presents the results of a survey that focuses on two main stages of the processes that Indonesian women who decide to become domestic workers go through. They are stages
