In response to the labour dispute that erupted between SMRT Corp and its China bus drivers on 26 November 2012, the Singapore government has termed it an “illegal strike” and instituted legal proceedings against five of the drivers. One of them has since pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 6 weeks in jail. Following that,
The lead story on the front page of the Straits Times (18 Dec 2012: Dormitory operators unite to raise standards) was about eight dormitory operators founding a new Dormitory Association of Singapore (DASL) in September this year. More interestingly, the story provided some numbers about dormitory beds in Singapore. It said that these eight companies
Transient Workers Count Too celebrated International Migrants Day 2012 with a sports carnival 16 December 2012. Several rounds of men's and women's volleyball and women's futsal were played. We also took the opportunity to do more outreach to inform workers of their rights, and to recognise the long service to Singapore families by domestic workers who
Two workers from China have been charged for criminal trespass after they climbed atop a crane to protest what they said was a case of salary non-payment. The Ministry of Manpower was quick to deny that they were owed any salaries and the men were arrested as soon as they were persuaded to climb down.
Five ex-SMRT bus drivers have been charged for criminal offences. Bao Fengshan's case was heard on 3 December 2012. He was accused of "commencing the strike", pleaded guilty and was jailed six weeks. (Channel NewsAsia, 3 Dec 2012, 6 weeks' jail for SMRT bus driver involved in strike, by Dylan Loh) Gao Yueqiang, 32; Liu Xiangying,
Student volunteers from the National Institute of Education, assisting TWC2 in preparing for this year's International Migrants Day produced the above video. Looks like fun! International Migrants Day is a United Nations-endorsed event to mark the contributions of migrant workers to society everywhere. Transient Workers Count Too will be celebrating with a sports day in
Press Release 29 November 2012 情网下翻阅 Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) notes with concern statements issued by some stakeholders since the SMRT labour dispute on 26 November 2012. Until key facts have been established by the police and full accounts from both employer and workers given a chance to be heard, TWC2 calls upon the
Jaya sits in a park near the TWC2 food project on Rowell Road. We arrive at a black door with no number on it. Jayasurenda (Jaya for short) from Sri Lanka, is about to show me where he has slept for the last 6 months while waiting for his case to be resolved
Mominul Islam, 36, died at his worksite on the morning of 16 November 2012. He was killed when steel rods fell on him. The Straits Times reported a co-worker describing the incident at 30, Tuas Bay Drive, as one where a "wire mesh" (probably a criss-cross assembly of rods) weighing between three and five tons
Two companies, Techcom Construction & Trading and Sunway Concrete Products, were charged in court for failing to pay their workers on time, reported the Straits Times on Friday, 16 Nov 2012. Sunway is the main contractor for Techcom. Techcom faces a total of 59 charges under the Employment Act for failing to pay its workers
