Stories about workers’ experiences, the many ways our volunteers help, insights and facts that TWC2 have unearthed

23 11, 2011

Employment of Foreign Manpower Regulations

2019-08-30T16:36:25+08:00November 23rd, 2011|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Section 29 of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) empowers the Minister (in this case, the Minister of Manpower) to make additional regulations governing the employment of foreign manpower. These additional Regulations have the status of subsidiary legislation (also known as by-laws). That is, they have the force of law, but subordinate to the

23 11, 2011

Midnight rescue

2019-08-30T16:36:26+08:00November 23rd, 2011|Articles, Stories|

The midnight air was humid and still. Russell slid his car into the driveway fronting the block of flats marked for the rendezvous, turned off his headlights, and rolled down his window glass to listen intently to the sounds emanating from the block. Nothing unusual so far -- a bit of distant television, a mother

19 11, 2011

Workers asked to choose between pay cut or repatriation

2019-08-30T16:36:48+08:00November 19th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

Without work, Abubakar (right, above) was not getting any money and had to depend on free meals served by TWC2, but it wasn't because the scaffolder wasn't willing to work. It was simply because his boss was penalising him for refusing to take a pay cut. The boss had not assigned him to any work

18 11, 2011

Marathoners push themselves for TWC2

2019-08-30T16:36:49+08:00November 18th, 2011|Articles, Happenings|

The annual Standard Chartered marathon is around the corner. Scheduled for December 4, 2011, Pui Kwan Lee, Shuxia and Aseem Thakur are motivating themselves by the thought of TWC2's worthy cause. These three runners have created donation pages on Give.sg where you can support their efforts by making a contribution. This will spur them on

16 11, 2011

Fact sheet: Applicable law for wrongful confinement

2019-08-30T16:36:49+08:00November 16th, 2011|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

TWC2 volunteers often come across cases where migrant workers are seized and detained by private security and repatriation agencies, on orders of their employers, for the purposes of quick repatriation to their home countries. This often occurs when a worker has lodged a complaint against his employer over salary arrears, or has been injured. Or

16 11, 2011

Fact sheet: Foreign domestic workers in Singapore (complaints and abuses)

2019-08-30T16:36:49+08:00November 16th, 2011|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

What are the main complaints made by foreign domestic workers? Complaints vary to some extent, according to nationality. A 2005 survey of 115 Indonesian domestic workers who had worked in Singapore found that more than two-thirds complained of limited access to information and communication with other people, not being allowed to go outside, not having

16 11, 2011

Fact sheet: Foreign domestic workers in Singapore (basic statistics)

2019-08-30T16:36:50+08:00November 16th, 2011|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

How many foreign domestic workers are there in Singapore? There were 201,000 female domestic workers in Singapore on Work Permits (end of 2010), as reported by the Ministry of Manpower. That made it about one for every five households in the country. In 2002, there were 140,000. Where do they come from? The majority, by

12 11, 2011

The runaway

2019-08-30T16:36:50+08:00November 12th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

Hanis came to Singapore in August 2009 from East Java for a job as a domestic worker. Like so many others, she hoped to make enough to help support her husband and two children -- a four-year-old son and a daughter aged 11, whom she left in the care of her mother. Her husband

9 11, 2011

Three videos: Inside look at migrant worker housing

2019-08-30T16:36:50+08:00November 9th, 2011|Articles, Stories|

There are many stories about migrant workers being housed worse than animals, in unsafe and unhygienic conditions. But it is hard to grasp how bad things can be without the visual image. With phone cameras becoming ubiquitous, these images are coming out. The first is a video first posted on  The Online Citizen, showing utterly

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