Articles

18 09, 2016

Workers who find their doctors and lawyers adding to their problems

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00September 18th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Pat Meyer At TWC2, we expect to be helping workers with employer-related problems. But at least as often, we find ourselves dealing with problems created by doctors and lawyers. It was raining hard Tuesday night as TWC2’s meal programme in Little India was about to begin. One of the first men we met that

16 09, 2016

A million thanks for myriad acts of kindess

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00September 16th, 2016|Articles, Happenings|

We have a lot of pictures like the one above, showing a volunteer doing something for a worker, in this case, registering him for our free meals programme (Cuff Road Project). Indeed, our volunteers are often very busy. Without them, much of our work simply couldn't be done. But this photo was unusual because the

13 09, 2016

No lorry means no doctor

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00September 13th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By J Wen In a recession, should a company prioritise cutting costs over the health of its employees? One engineering firm in Aljunied seems to think so, after leaving one of their injured workers with a twisted, bloodied finger for more than five hours before he was sent to the hospital for treatment. All in

12 09, 2016

The name of the devil is process: how regulatory process creates and sustains the disempowerment and injustices faced by migrant labour

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00September 12th, 2016|Articles, Happenings, News, Our Stand|

For a few years now, Transient Workers Count Too has been asked to give a talk to journalists gathered at the annual Asia Journalism Fellowship. The following videos are adapted from the talk that Alex Au gave on 8 September 2016. There were about 20 journalists in TWC2's Dayspace, from various Asian countries, Pakistan to

9 09, 2016

Razib’s simple foot injury grows into a struggle for treatment, housing and money

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00September 9th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Seah Bei Ying A heavy steel rod smashed into Razibozzaman's right foot Saturday night, fracturing a bone within. Pain shot up, and would stay with him for over a week till he made his way, against his boss' wishes, to a proper hospital. This was the same boss who told him that he would

1 09, 2016

Ayyan anxious and lost in his first hours after quitting

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00September 1st, 2016|Articles, Stories|

Not often do we get to interview a worker who has only walked out of his company the same day. Ranjana got this chance, and she takes us into his moment of anxiety and bewilderment. In the process, she explains why we need Little India as Little India. By Ranjana Raghunathan I meet Ayyan Chinnasamy

28 08, 2016

Bleeding badly from injured hand, Juyel ferried from doctor to doctor

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00August 28th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By De Sheng Poh “So many pain, so many blood.” remarked Juyel as he recounted his harrowing experience immediately following a serious injury sustained in the line of work. Earning an average of $1,200 a month, Md Juyel Hossain Md Abdul Hai, a Bangladeshi national, is the sole breadwinner of his extended family, which consists of

24 08, 2016

Employer ordered to pay salaries, but MOM has no practical enforcement mechanism

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00August 24th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Saw Suhui Though armed with a set of court papers that ruled in their favour, Debnath Prantush and Islam Mohammed Shafiqul still could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, and had to approach TWC2 for help. They were colleagues a few months ago but together they left the company because they

20 08, 2016

Broken arm left untreated for almost 24 hours

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00August 20th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Natalie Choy An unsightly line stretches along Bangladeshi national Sujel's left forearm. The 12-stitch surgical scar is large enough to be distracting. “Inside have long metal rod,”Broken he explains, as he gently presses on the stitched area to show me where the rod was surgically inserted. The 25-year-old, who came to Singapore in 2013,

16 08, 2016

One in three foreign workers still not getting itemised payslips

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:00+08:00August 16th, 2016|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Of over 500 Indian and Bangladeshi workers surveyed recently by Transient Workers Count Too, one in three reported that they were not getting itemised payslips from their employers. This represents quite a high degree of non-compliance with the Ministry of Manpower's new rule that took effect 1 April 2016. The survey reached a total of