Articles

27 12, 2011

A life cut tragically short, a brother seeks answers

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 27th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

By Spiegel When young Sohelrana, a Bangladeshi carpenter, contemplated a return to Singapore in hopes for second fruitful working stint, he thought his younger brother, Roni Miya, should follow. Their father, a farmer, has kept his family of eight in good fiscal shape, but Sohel and Rony still harboured hopes of a better life for

23 12, 2011

Constructing cut grass

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 23rd, 2011|Articles, Stories|

Before leaving their home country for Singapore to take up new jobs, Aman Ullah and Rafiqul Islam received a letter each from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Titled "In-principle Approval for Work Permit" and commonly known as "IPA", the letter stated their jobs, the name of their employer, their basic monthly salary and other allowances

22 12, 2011

Why is there no bed?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 22nd, 2011|Articles, Happenings|

Would teenagers be able to understand the travails of working life? Especially those of migrant workers? At their age, they had never had any taste of work, nor would they have had much contact with migrant workers, except perhaps foreign domestic maids in their homes. These concerns weighed on Alex's mind as December 10, 2011

20 12, 2011

Thirteen months with a broken knee, part 2

alex2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 20th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

Continued from Part 1. "Mustafa Plaza," Manik told the taxi driver. He figured it would be safest there with lots of fellow Bangladehsis around. He might get some help too. By September 19, just a few days alter, the $50 in his pocket was dwindling fast, and it was obvious there was no way he

19 12, 2011

A soft spot for the underdog

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 19th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

By Ramesh First-time volunteer Jason Lim says the experiences of his youth shaped his views towards migrant workers and domestic helpers. “I remember being shocked when I asked my mom how much we paid our maid,” said the 29-year-old civil servant. “I think it was just under $300 a month and I thought it was

19 12, 2011

Casual but engaged at TWC2’s December 2011 outreach

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 19th, 2011|Articles, Happenings|

In the second of a new series, Transient Workers Count Too held a public outreach event Saturday, December 17, 2011. Divided into two sessions -- the earlier one relating to domestic workers and the later one relating to male migrant workers with a short break in between, it was designed to be accessible and easy

17 12, 2011

Thirteen months with a broken knee, part 1

alex2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 17th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

"Are you scared?" your correspondent asked Manik, seated across the table. His operation was scheduled for Monday, December 19, 2011, just four days away. He had never had an operation, never been under general anaesthesia before. He paused for a while, then nodded subtly. Your correspondent tried to reassure him: "You'll come out of it

15 12, 2011

Advertising intern does good famously

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 15th, 2011|Articles, News Flash, Stories|

Challenging themselves to "do good famously", three interns from British advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty Limited (BBH) came up with the idea of having one of them, Ian Napier, live and work as a migrant worker for a short while, and report on what it feels like to be one in Singapore. His colleagues Mark

14 12, 2011

‘Pay me $550 – $570 a month,’ the boss said

alex2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 14th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

On Tuesday morning, December 13, 2011, the boss of RegiCo (pseudonym of company name) called 23 employees, all migrant workers, to his office and announced that the company was bankrupt. "You should go to the Ministry of Manpower after this," he advised. One would think the men would have been anxious about losing their jobs,

13 12, 2011

Migrant workers show off their dance moves

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:25+08:00December 13th, 2011|Articles, Happenings|

Every person has multiple talents; migrant workers too. At TWC2's celebration of International Migrants Day (IMD), some of these hidden talents came to the fore. Members of the Indonesian Family Network (IFN), Filipino Family Network (FFN) and guests from Resorts World Singapore and elsewhere came forward to show off different sides of their personalities in