Articles

10 03, 2018

Grappling with trafficking is like nailing jelly to a wall

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:06+08:00March 10th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Happenings|

Former president of TWC2, John Gee, was a panellist at a human trafficking forum at the National University of Singapore's Stephen Riady Global Centre on Saturday 27 January 2018. In his talk, titled 'Nailing jelly to the wall', he drew attention to how terms and labels can be misconstrued, and responses can vary greatly. For

7 03, 2018

Crash! Bang! Boss hears windfall from the heavens

alex2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00March 7th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

Martin* was on his second day at his new job. He was employed as a construction worker, but he had let his boss know that he held a Singapore driving licence. His boss asked him to drive a lorry. Martin hit another car; the lorry suffered scratches. Thankfully, no one was injured. Some days later,

3 03, 2018

Shariful’s case shows how injury leads to poorer housing

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00March 3rd, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Tristan Powell-Odden, based on an interview in December 2017 Despite being in pain from an injury, Shariful had to look for new accommodation and worry about how to pay for it. Housing issues shouldn't have to complicate an injured worker's life, but they do. Shariful's job was to blast paint from steel surfaces of

25 02, 2018

A look back at job mobility policies 2011 – 2017

alex2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 25th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

There has been a gradual liberalisation over the last few years allowing construction workers to transfer to new jobs. This paper takes stock of evolving government policy in this area. Transient Workers Count Too has argued for a long time that retaining workers with experience in Singapore will be good for our much-hoped-for improvement in productivity.

21 02, 2018

Ratan waited three years before filing a salary complaint – why so long?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 21st, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Nicholas Lee, based on an interview in October 2017 The promise of a higher salary and a better life -- this is the main reason why most foreign workers leave their families and the familiarity of their home come to Singapore to work. But what if after taking on debts to pay agent fees

14 02, 2018

By law, boss has to pay MC wages, so why is Hasan still asking for them?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 14th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Tristan Powell-Odden, based on an interview in December 2017 Hasan Tamim has been seven months without work as a result of an accident. Not only was he not fully paid his salary before the incident, he has not received proper financial support from his employer since -- despite the law requiring the employer to

10 02, 2018

Victims of unpaid salaries have hard time getting transfer jobs

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 10th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

One of the more encouraging things that Transient Workers Count Too has noticed in the past few years is that now, nearly all victims of unpaid salary are given a chance by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to look for new jobs in Singapore without first having to return home. The significance of the above may be

7 02, 2018

“Sometimes $50 … na, take and go” is what passes for salary

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 7th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Alston Ng, based on an interview in December 2017 Pressing against the table and straining to be heard, Majumder Dilip Kumar (above left) recounts how he came to live off the goodwill of friends for the past two months. A note of morose resignation is unmistakable; he does not see the proverbial light at

2 02, 2018

Anowar’s plight shows need for vibrant transfer-job market

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 2nd, 2018|Articles, Stories|

Isaac (L) and Anowar (R) By Isaac Ong, based on an interview in November 2017 Anowar arrived in Singapore for his current job with Akilas Enterprise in late 2016, working for several months without issues. In June this year, however, life changed drastically. He tells us that he was not called to work,

29 01, 2018

TWC2 president speaks at Singapore UN Association’s UNASMUN

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00January 29th, 2018|Articles, Happenings, News, Our Stand|

TWC2 was invited to speak at the 2017 United Nations Association of Singapore Model United Nations (UNASMUN) preparatory conference which took place at the Singapore Institute of Management from 19-22 December 2017. At the conference, TWC2 President, Dr Noorashikin Abdul Rahman, presented an overview of the working and living conditions of migrant workers in Singapore