Articles

6 03, 2017

Foreign workforce numbers 2012 – 2016

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00March 6th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

For easy reference in future, we carry below the statistics relating to employed expatriates/workers for the years 2012 to 2016, extracted from the Ministry of Manpower website on 24 Feb 2017. Equivalent data for the years 2007 to 2012 can be seen at this page. Percentage-wise, these are the figures: The next table shows quite

4 03, 2017

There goes the number one worker

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00March 4th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Janson Chang “I was the number one good worker,” says Sheikh Milon, betraying a hint of emotion for the first time in our conversation, beneath his otherwise rugged, unflappable exterior. “I worked six years, no MC. Company grow from 40 to 400 people. But after injury…” His voice trails off for awhile, before fading

26 02, 2017

Harri boss finally sent to jail for salary and housing abuses

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 26th, 2017|Articles, News, News Flash, Our Stand, Stories|

In an encouraging development, the prosecutor in a recent case made the argument that using the threat of dismissal and repatriation to compel foreign workers to accept lower wages would constitute an offence. According to a news story in Today newspaper, Nallusamy Narayanan, the boss of a number of companies under the Harri name, had

24 02, 2017

One quarter of Labour Court salary orders unpaid

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 24th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash|

At the parliamentary sitting of 9 January 2017, Nominated Member of Parliament Kok Heng Leun posed a question to the Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say (pictured above). As published in the Hansard, Labour Court Orders on Employee Salary Non-payment Mr Kok Heng Leun asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many complaints about salary non-payment

20 02, 2017

Shortpaid, indebted and repatriated

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 20th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Jiang Haolie Molla Shohid will be put on a flight back to his village of Bhouria Challa in Bangladesh any day now. He does not know if he will be compensated for the promised wages that never materialised. He is not even sure of the day of the flight. His boss has kept him

14 02, 2017

Employers should purchase more insurance, salutary lesson shows

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 14th, 2017|Articles, News, Our Stand, Stories|

We'll call the worker 'Byoghu' in this story. He had worked before in Singapore and quite successfully. But when he returned for a second job, he soon fell ill. In the first two weeks on the job, he had a fever and was given medical leave. The employer decided to cancel his Work Permit on

9 02, 2017

Sujel’s agent charged him 26 times his basic salary for placement fee

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 9th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

S Peramaiyan (left) and Sujel (right) By Teo Yi Ning It is not often that we get to meet a migrant worker that has been working and living in Singapore for more than 20 years. Subramaniyan Peramaiyan first came to Singapore from India in 1995 as a construction worker, He paid $5,500 in

5 02, 2017

Average recruitment cost hit $15,000 in 2015 for first-time Bangladeshi construction workers

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 5th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

After hearing anecdotal reports of 'agent fees' in the region of $17,000 or $18,000, Transient Workers Count Two carried out a pilot survey to determine if these were rare cases, or if recruitment costs have risen dramatically. An earlier research report published in 2012, Worse off for working? found that Bangladeshi workers needed to work

1 02, 2017

“Please change the system, and I will come again to work”

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 1st, 2017|Articles, Stories|

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6f1FP_EgZU By Gek Han “Please Singapore government, please change the system, and I will come here again to work.” When Hossain returns to Bangladesh, he will try to find work in South Korea, rather than Singapore. Before coming to Singapore in 2013, Hossain tried to find employment in South Korea, because the South Korean

25 01, 2017

Was there no prosecution in 2016 for non-payment of salaries?

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00January 25th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

As 2016 came to a close, TWC2 trawled through the website of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to see what prosecutions have been listed there through the year. MOM issues press releases whenever an employer has been sentenced in court. TWC2 found twelve mentions in MOM's website through 2016. The list is shown further down. What