Articles

4 07, 2017

Job prematurely ended, Mollah Sharif facing debt collectors in three days

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00July 4th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Bill Poorman All he needs is some more time. Not forever. “One week, two week, three week,” Mollah Sharif Hossain says. Instead, he got only three days. Three days to save his life. It’s a Monday evening at TWC2's free meals programme. Just yesterday, Mollah Sharif and his co-worker, Rafique (who goes by one name),

1 07, 2017

Kamroul waiting months for MRI, not allowed to work, no income

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00July 1st, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Sun Hanchen Hasan Kamroul was a marine trades worker, working at Benoi Shipyard. 7 December 2016 was supposed to be just another normal work night for him, but all changed several hours into his shift. Having been tasked to move some 26-inch pipes with two of his fellow workers, Kamroul set about doing his

30 06, 2017

Straits Times reports on ‘gaps in Labour Court system’ and the plight of 5 Zach Engineering employees

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 30th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

Following the launch of TWC2's research report yesterday (see Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations), the Straits Times carried two stories Friday (30 June 2017) almost filling up all of page B4. Click to enlarge The newspaper noted that our research study found "significant obstacles and uneven enforcement" that prevent

29 06, 2017

Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 29th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Press Releases|

A new study released by Transient Workers Count Too on 29 June 2017 reveals challenges faced by low-wage migrant workers with unpaid salaries and workplace injuries in obtaining compensation and recourse. The study, conducted by researchers at the Singapore Management University (“SMU”) and Transient Workers Count Too (“TWC2”), reveals that significant numbers of workers face

25 06, 2017

The Everglory scam: productivity incentive shot to pieces

alex2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 25th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

Bikas (left) and Mazibar (right) were two highly experienced workers from the group of five This is a story of how one branch of the government undermines what another branch is trying to do. Low productivity in the construction industry has been a concern for years. Among the measures being tried is a push

22 06, 2017

The rough seas of debt

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 22nd, 2017|Articles, Stories|

In an earlier story[1], Liang Lei has sketched the origins of Sikder Sumon's salary case and the long time it took at the Ministry of Manpower. Here, Edgar Chan adds a bit more detail about the MOM process and discusses the wider context By Edgar Chan On the evening of 25 May 2017, at Isthana

18 06, 2017

Sumon’s salary case stretched for five months, exhausting his ability to fight for his full amount

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00June 18th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Liang Lei “I tired already”, was Sumon’s reply to why he chose not to continue pursuing his case, despite a settlement that will only entitle him to S$11,000. That’s half of the amount he believes is owed to him by his employer. Sumon has not seen his family for six years since his move to

13 06, 2017

Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers stuffed into office drawers

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00June 13th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Katia Barthélémy Heading to one of the restaurants in Little India where TWC2 offers free meals to injured and salary-unpaid migrant workers, I am wondering about the kind of life story I will come across tonight. As a fairly new volunteer with TWC2, my limited experience makes me think everything is about physical injuries.

9 06, 2017

How do you determine if your employer or doctor is “good” or “bad”?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00June 9th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

We wondered how a foreign worker might form an opinion whether he was getting adequate medical care. We picked a worker at random to see what he has to say. By Cheow Yong Jian Meet Kalam Md Abul, 28, a construction worker whose experiences leave him in considerable doubt on how to answer this question.

5 06, 2017

Anatomy of an S-Pass scam

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00June 5th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Darren Oei Rama, a forty-ish Indian national, comes up to TWC2 volunteer Alex, giving him an update to his case. Alex nods and says "Good, that's good," though I can't make sense of what Rama is saying. Then for some reason, Rama turns to me and continues telling me his good news, but he