Articles

22 12, 2013

We ask three Bangladeshis what they think of Singapore

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:12+08:00December 22nd, 2013|Articles, Stories|

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

18 12, 2013

Escaping from repatriation toughs, Neelakandan left all his belongings behind

alex2019-08-30T16:34:12+08:00December 18th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

"Meeting time, they speak all very nicely," recalls Neelakandan of a meeting at his company office on Tuesday, 22 October 2013. Present were "boss wife", a Chinese Singaporean, a manager and an engineer, both Sri Lankans. They -- Neelakandan's superiors -- asked him for details about the incident on Sunday morning, when his supervisors got

16 12, 2013

TWC2 celebrates International Migrants Day 2013 with ‘Lunch with Heart’

webmaster2019-08-30T16:34:12+08:00December 16th, 2013|Articles, Happenings|

TWC2's 2013 benefit event Lunch with Heart, coinciding with International Migrants Day, began a minute's silence in remembrance of Sakthivel Kumaravelu, the man who was killed in a bus accident last Sunday night (8 Dec 2013). Coincidentally, the event (at Apollo Banana Leaf Restaurant) was held but a stone's throw from where the incident took

15 12, 2013

Talk at European Union Human Rights Day seminar

webmaster2019-08-30T16:34:12+08:00December 15th, 2013|Articles, Happenings, News, Our Stand|

Below is the short talk TWC2 vice-president Alex Au (above, 2nd from left) gave at the Human Rights Day seminar organised by the Delegation of the European Union delegation to Singapore, 10 December 2013. The theme of the seminar was 'Contemporary perspectives on economic & social rights'. --- In the matter of employment, we would

13 12, 2013

Menton diary, Part 5

webmaster2019-08-30T16:34:13+08:00December 13th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

GO TO PART 2 December 2013, Monday Two designated contact persons from the Toh Guan group of ex-Menton staff come to the office to update and discuss the case with social workers Kenneth and Karno. Quite a few things have happened over the weekend. Twenty workers have been paid $1,500 to $2,000 each, received air

13 12, 2013

Seen but unheard

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:34:13+08:00December 13th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

By Wajihah Hamid Watching what happened on Sunday in Singapore’s Little India made my heart sink. At one end of the line of fire were fellow Singaporeans while at the other end were Indian migrant workers – a group whom I followed closely for about 3 months, going to Little India every other day, doing

12 12, 2013

Not often seen: repetitive stress injury

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:13+08:00December 12th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

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

10 12, 2013

On light duty, with stiff arm, Soman told to operate a lathe

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:13+08:00December 10th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

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

8 12, 2013

Doctors need to talk to their patients, part 2

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:13+08:00December 8th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

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

7 12, 2013

The difference WICA makes

webmaster2019-08-30T16:34:14+08:00December 7th, 2013|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Several stories on our website tell of workers who complain that their employers deny that their injuries were caused by workplace accidents. A recent study by Transient Workers Count Too and Healthserve found that a significant percentage of them worry about what their employers told doctors about the circumstances of the accident. But why? Why