Articles

20 11, 2015

Land reclamation worker’s salary just $227 a month

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:22+08:00November 20th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Jiang Haolie It is unthinkable to survive in Singapore earning just $227 a month, or $1.19 for every hour of backbreaking work. Bidut (not his real name), a reclamation worker is doing just that. For comparison, an indoor job at McDonalds would pay five to six dollars an hour; it would earn you Bidut's daily

16 11, 2015

In a soft voice, a tale of $10,000

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:22+08:00November 16th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Jas Talukder Joynal approaches me hesitantly, yet he does not strike me as a man of low self-esteem. Clad in a brightly coloured checkered shirt, with a good trendy fit, he definitely cares about his appearance. His face is one that has not yet been marked with the hardships of life and I am a little

12 11, 2015

Even MOM thinks a broken arm deserves sick leave

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:23+08:00November 12th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By William Chin You might think that a broken arm with 2 pins inserted would warrant a medical certificate (MC). Not so if you are treated by a certain Dr Tan -- TWC2 has her full name. Monir Shafi suffered a bad fall on 28 July 2015, which required treatment for his arm and back.

6 11, 2015

The bicycle thief (who didn’t do it)

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:23+08:00November 6th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

In the much acclaimed 1948 Italian movie of the same name, the protagonist searches for his stolen bike, the bike that he needs to keep his job to help his family escape from poverty in post-World War 2 Italy. Arman, the protagonist of this story who came to work in Singapore to help lift his

31 10, 2015

“Please get going” — polite way for boss to tell worker he’ll be repatriated for getting medical leave

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:23+08:00October 31st, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Ranjana Raghunathan I ask Balasubramanian Mangaleswaran if he requested for medical treatment from his employer right after injuring his leg. He replies, “I asked them immediately, they just said that they would not pay for it.” He was told, “you must take care of it yourself.” This is against the law (see box at

29 10, 2015

Call for proposals: Labour Court research project

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:23+08:00October 29th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Happenings, News, News Flash|

TWC2 is seeking collaborators to help us undertake research on Singapore's Labour Court system at the Ministry of Manpower, specifically procedures and practices relating to the salary and injury claims of migrant workers. Research will include a review of legislation and legislative history governing salary and injury claims in Labour Court and an overview of

27 10, 2015

Lunch with Heart — TWC2’s annual benefit event is here again

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00October 27th, 2015|Articles, Happenings, News, News Flash|

Our annual benefit event -- Lunch with Heart -- will be held on Sunday 13 December 2015. Tickets are now available at$80 each. Even if you cannot make it, it would be great if you could purchase tickets and donate them back. Each donated ticket will be used to sponsor a worker to a wonderful

25 10, 2015

Operation and crutches without MC, MOM’s accident reporting system crippled

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00October 25th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Keith Wong At right is a picture of Pennada Balarama Murthy taken six weeks after the accident that injured his right ankle. He still cannot put weight on that foot. Any reasonable person would say he should be on medical leave. Even prescribing light duty would not be appropriate since he can't climb onto

21 10, 2015

Who cares about the overtime rule? and other discoveries

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00October 21st, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Fatima Ying I was given the opportunity to intern for TWC2 and the experience allowed me to interact with migrant workers, most of whom are Indian and Bangladeshi nationals. Through my conversations with them, I got to find out more about their culture and lifestyle here and gained some interesting insights into the world

17 10, 2015

Broken bone in foot but no surgical intervention

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00October 17th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Samantha Ege “This leg, very big already,” Ali tells me, gesturing towards his noticeably swollen foot. On 23 February 2015, Ali was working as he would normally do, at a shipyard. He was dressed in the necessary protective gear, complete with brand new safety footwear. However, this was not enough to save his foot