Articles

8 11, 2017

What are the rules for housing injured workers?

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00November 8th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Many injured workers, after leaving their dorms, find bunk space in Little India The law as to who is responsible for workers' accommodation is a dustball of words. The exact meaning is fuzzy and can be squeezed every which way. In practice however, the words are largely rendered moot. Employers have their own requirements

4 11, 2017

When being unreasonable pays off

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00November 4th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Jiang Zhi Feng, based on an interview in October 2017 After Rana Masum approached a lawyer to lodge an injury compensation claim, he found his Work Permit cancelled by his employer. Not long after, his boss wanted him to move out of his current dormitory, Westlite Dormitory at Toh Guan in Jurong East and

30 10, 2017

Injured Azizul given only $1,000 to live on for 15 months

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00October 30th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Philomène Franssen, based on an interview in September 2017 One thousand dollars is what Azizul received from his employer seven months after the June 2016 accident that took place at his work site. It was supposed to be his medical leave wages, but since he was on medical leave ("MC") for those seven months, it

24 10, 2017

Sumon has been five years in Singapore, never held his son before

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00October 24th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Nicholas Lee, based on an interview in September 2017 “Men die, company no thinking, only thinking money”. With words like that reflecting the treatment that Miah Md Sumon and his fellow compatriots receive, it is hard to imagine the lives they lead working in a far-away country away from their loved ones. I sit

21 10, 2017

Caring for the caregiver: foreign domestic workers’ access to medical care

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00October 21st, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

In a survey of 468 foreign domestic workers ("FDW"), TWC2 found that generally, their access to medical care for minor ailments did not seem to be impeded. Over 80% of FDWs were taken by their employers to a doctor when they felt ill and requested for medical attention. Over 80% said they were "not scared"

17 10, 2017

When an employer says a worker has ‘run away’, what really happened? Sumon’s story

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:30+08:00October 17th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

Sumon speaking with the volunteer writer By Liang Lei, based on an interview in August 2017 Sometimes, when it comes to foreign workers, it is both worrying and terrifying to realize just how much they are at the mercy of the employers, in an environment of lax enforcement and subdued consequences. Drastic measures

12 10, 2017

Fraud committed using ministry letterhead

alex2019-08-30T16:31:30+08:00October 12th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

Sarowar (not his real name) approaches our help desk hesitantly. Despite being in his mid-thirties, he does not exude much self-confidence. Maybe it's because he knows his English is weak, and what he has to tell us is fairly complicated. However, it didn't take us long to grasp the nub of the problem: Someone had

7 10, 2017

A mookata waiter’s tale

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:30+08:00October 7th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

File picture. Does not depict the restaurant in the article. By Liang Lei, based on an interview in July 2017 The raid came. Subbas was on duty that night, and he was arrested. His luck had run out. He would spend a month in jail and, tied to a medieval rack, receive three

2 10, 2017

Siddik and Rafique’s lives frozen as Freezeland Aircon & Electrical folds

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:30+08:00October 2nd, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Jonah Foong, based on interviews in July 2017 In George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, the fictional land of Oceania is ruled by Big Brother, a man of ‘about forty-five’ with a ‘heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features’. While his face is plastered on hoardings, he is never seen in the flesh, and his

28 09, 2017

Unpaid workers find company funds diverted

alex2019-08-30T16:31:30+08:00September 28th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

A boss was apologetic that he was unable to pay his employees their salaries on time. But what is interesting is the reason why he couldn't do so: he had to pay foreign worker levies to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) first. Below are key portions of a transcript of a meeting between the boss (who