Articles

18 06, 2016

“Boss say: if asking [salary], then you go back Bangladesh.”

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:01+08:00June 18th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Anthony Chua When I first spot Barai Dipok at TWC2’s Dayspace, he is seated in front of a volunteer case helper, clutching some important looking documents and appearing visibly frustrated. As I approach to shake his hand, he utters a weak ‘hi’ and turns his attention right back to the case helper, who is

14 06, 2016

How we walked Muslem Motalb, with broken knee, home

alex2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00June 14th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

Muslem Motalb will always remember Transient Workers Count Too fondly. "I [will] never forget TWC2," he told us in the days before he went home. "Many people in TWC2 help me so much." We'll tell the story here of what we did to help bring his case to a successful conclusion. It took almost a

10 06, 2016

There are laws about salary payment and work permits, no?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00June 10th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Kan Ren Jie For many Singaporean employees, it would be unthinkable for our employers to stop paying our monthly salaries. Many of us are accustomed (and excited!) to see our bank balance increase every month like clockwork. However, this basic confidence is denied to many foreign workers. My conversations with two men, Ali Abbas

8 06, 2016

Discovering that they’re boys again

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00June 8th, 2016|Articles, Happenings|

"Never before, I touch a fighter jet," said Dharmaraj, "and sit inside helicopter, pilot seat." Meanwhile, Amin just beamed broadly, unable to say which moment was the most interesting for him. They went on Friday 20 May 2016 to the Air Force open house, held at Changi airport. The outing was organised by TWC2's Discover

6 06, 2016

How dare you ask about injury compensation!

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00June 6th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Gek Han In sixteen years of working in Singapore, Islam Aminur has been diligent and careful, working without an accident. But luck turned against him in December 2015. A heavy, 20kg block of metal fell on his thumb, necessitating surgery at the National University Hospital (NUH). Aminur was given 25 days medical leave ("MC"). Following procedure, he

3 06, 2016

Dorm operator fined $300,000 for having 10% more occupants than allowed

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00June 3rd, 2016|Articles, Happenings|

KT Mesdorm Pte Ltd, the operator of a purpose-built dormitory in the Boon Lay area was recently fined $300,000 for having more than the permitted number of workers living there. Mesdorm pleaded guilty to 30 charges. It is the first dorm operator to be so prosecuted, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a press

2 06, 2016

The Cuff Road Project: how many men? how many meals?

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00June 2nd, 2016|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

The Cuff Road Project[i] (TCRP) serves many purposes. For starters, it fills the bellies of a large number of men who aren’t permitted to work under the terms of their Special Pass, or because of action taken by their employer to prevent them from working. Most of the men have filed a work injury claim

1 06, 2016

Research series: Recruitment costs

webmaster2020-01-30T19:17:14+08:00June 1st, 2016|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

The great majority of transnational migrant workers pay money in order to obtain jobs in other countries. The charges are often exorbitant. Most of the money goes to middlemen: agents in their own country or in destination countries, local recruiters and training centres (which often function as middlemen institutions). Some money may also be paid

29 05, 2016

Delay in being given treatment complicates Arjunan’s recovery

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00May 29th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

“God’s grace is with me”, says Arjunan with a smile, as he awaits an arduous legal procedure for injury compensation By Ranjana Raghunathan Arjunan has worked in Singapore since 2008. After four years in a company, he joined the current company in November 2014. His job involved plastering and painting of ship parts, but the

24 05, 2016

Monir falls from scaffolding into downsizing and debt

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:02+08:00May 24th, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Katia Barthelemy Things were going fine for Mia Monir, 25, from Bangladesh: he tells me he has been working for Kim Heng Marine for four years already with no major complaints from his side. But Monir’s story took a dramatic turn on 10 March 2016, showing that life can take unexpected, nasty slips, even if one