Articles

7 10, 2016

Boss cancels worker’s surgery, worker loses flexibility and feeling in thumb

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00October 7th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Audrey Tan He took on a new job with high hopes, but now finds himself at the lowest point of his life. Ragunathan Kaliyarasan, 28, is jobless and struggling to recover after a workplace injury in March 2016. His predicament tells the story of a dismissive employer. “I want(ed) to land one job perfectly,”

4 10, 2016

Reflections: Housing and sustenance for Special Pass men

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00October 4th, 2016|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Most interns who spend 6 - 9 weeks with TWC2 are asked to wrap up their internship with an essay on a specific topic. Moe spent April and May 2016 with us assisting with casework and the Cuff Road Project. In the process, he came across many foreign workers who had lost their jobs either

30 09, 2016

If “boss say carry more, I also cannot say no,” — Imran injures his back despite ministry’s safe load limit

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00September 30th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Teo Yi Ning It was only his third month working at a concrete casting company when Sheikh Mohammad Imran hurt his back. The concrete slab that he was carrying landed on his back when he lost his footing on a slippery floor at his worksite, leaving him with intolerable pain. He estimates that the

26 09, 2016

Islam Mahabub, injured, unable to work, fears for his children

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00September 26th, 2016|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmuX0UUq5Jk Video by Nicole Ng, text by Colin Ng, with contributions by Alex Au For most construction workers like Islam Mahabub, a job here comes at a hefty price. Based on casual reports collected by TWC2 from among the thousands of workers we see each year, the cost of a job can range from $2,000

22 09, 2016

Why did you choose to work in Singapore? We ask Jakir

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00September 22nd, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Gek Han Family was the only consideration when Jakir decided to work overseas. Jakir was fifteen when his father died, and Jakir’s elder brother was not earning enough to support his family of six. But Singapore wasn’t Jakir’s first choice of destination. Jakir had wanted to go to the Middle East, because he thought

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