Articles

29 08, 2013

Survey uncovers exorbitant agent fees suffered by Bangladeshi workers

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:19+08:00August 29th, 2013|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By YC Loh For Bangladeshis in their first job here, about half paid more than S$7,000 to their agent. More than 70 percent paid over $5,000. By contrast, the majority (over 60%) of Indians paid less than $5,000 to their agent for their first job. These figures emerged from a survey recently conducted by TWC2. The average

26 08, 2013

Movie treat: Ilo Ilo

webmaster2019-08-30T16:34:19+08:00August 26th, 2013|Articles, Happenings|

Happy voices in Bahasa Indonesia and Filipino filled the lobby of Golden Village Tiong Bahru cinemas on Sunday, 25 Aug 2013, as members of the TWC2 family came together for a screening of Ilo Ilo. This first feature film by Singapore director Anthony Chen won the Camera d'Or at Cannes earlier this year in May.

24 08, 2013

Worker falls ill soon after arriving in Singapore, made to bear own medical costs

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:19+08:00August 24th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

By Ankur Kumar It was early August last year when Hossain Mohammad Arif's friend took the crucial decision of taking ill Arif to Alexandria Hospital. Arif's condition looked serious enough for him to opt for a not-inexpensive cab ride. The decision sure looked sound to the doctors at Alexandria. Arif was diagnosed with typhoid. Arif

21 08, 2013

So this is barbecue

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:34:19+08:00August 21st, 2013|Articles, Happenings|

By Terence Kek “So this is ‘barbecue’! This is the first time we have barbecue and it is nice!” Nazimul, mumbles happily, in between mouthfuls of perfectly grilled food – which includes the fish they caught that same afternoon. This is the fifth outing organized by TWC2 Discover Singapore. The day began with two hours of

19 08, 2013

Workers told to ignore max carrying load per man; suffer injury

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:19+08:00August 19th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

By Lim Wei Zhen Seventy to a hundred kilogrammes make a heavy load to share between two men. Yet for Elias Malu Miah (picture, right) and Mahmudul Hasan Majbar Rahman (left), as well as many like them, it is a burden they must shoulder most days. While the Construction Safety Orientation Course teaches that the

16 08, 2013

Phone call: Fourteen workers told to get off the bus

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:19+08:00August 16th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

By Max Ang Dawn on 10 July 2013, and the men file out of the Woodlands dormitory to wait for the company bus. A phone rings. It's a co-worker from the Tuas South dorm with alarming news: 'gangsters' have showed up and taken fourteen men away. More calls come in, confirming the same. Word

11 08, 2013

Boss upset that injury reported to authorities

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:51+08:00August 11th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

By Fuxiong After an accident report was made at the Ministry of Manpower, "my boss, he angry me," says Shirazul. "He say now have problem with insurance." Shirazul's story raises several questions for which no answers are immediately available. The employer treated him relatively well when he was injured and needed medical treatment. It was

7 08, 2013

Clinic quotes worker over $1,000 for a medical report

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:51+08:00August 7th, 2013|Articles, Stories|

By Wendy Ma If you had $1,000, how would you spend it? This sum is equivalent to five months of Wang Cunbo’s living expense in Singapore, as he spends only $200 per month. He sends the remaining $1200 of his monthly salary back home in Zhengzhou, China, so that he can build a house for

3 08, 2013

Injured worker held by four ‘rabi’ in windowless room

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:34:51+08:00August 3rd, 2013|Articles, Stories|

By YC Loh For some transient workers, the option of spending their last days in Singapore calmly settling their affairs and buying gifts before returning home is far removed from reality. Instead, they are forcibly repatriated to their home countries when their employers are unwilling to incur the costs of giving them medical treatment or paying

1 08, 2013

Workers will bear over $5 billion of costs for injuries sustained in 2011

webmaster2019-08-30T16:34:51+08:00August 1st, 2013|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash|

Preliminary findings from a study of workplace injuries and ill-health in 2011 reveal that slightly more than half of total costs fall on workers themselves, when quantified into dollar terms. Since low-wage foreign workers tend to be the ones doing the dangerous jobs, they suffer injuries and ill-health disproportionately. Now they -- the least able