Stories about workers’ experiences, the many ways our volunteers help, insights and facts that TWC2 have unearthed

30 09, 2015

Ankle broken, Nagarajan’s future bleak as a hired farm-hand

2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00September 30th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Ranjana Raghunathan Adaikkalam Nagarajan, 32, was given a “special shoe” to wear for a month. “No other treatment! I was in pain for a month, even with painkillers. I was given light-duty for a month, no medical leave.” TWC2 has noted that many doctors don't issue full medical leave certificates, but only light duty

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18 09, 2015

Injured workers hit face-on with doctor and housing issues

2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 18th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

Medical treatment and housing -- two issues that workers, after an injury, find themselves grappling with. They shouldn't have to, and it is troubling to any outside observer that soon after an injury, perhaps still in pain with mobility difficulties, anyone should find himself with these additional complications. For a little insight as to how and why these

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12 09, 2015

The ‘stupid boy’ with an ipad

2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 12th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Elizabeth Zhou Sagor Mohammad and Abu Bakar (pictured above) are Bangladeshi nationals working as construction workers in Singapore. Not their first time here, both work permit holders are seasoned and familiar non-citizens[1] of Singapore with a close and allied network of friends and “family” -- relationships they have forged and accrued over the years.

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8 09, 2015

The day an employer came to us for help

2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 8th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Alex Au One afternoon late March 2015, an employer came to Transient Workers Count Too to see if we could help him. "He was almost in tears," said my colleague Russell Heng who devoted more than half an hour lending him a sympathetic ear. He was a contractor with over a hundred workers, but he

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4 09, 2015

Surviving on borrowed money and three shirts

2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 4th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Daniel Ling “Driver put all my baju (clothes) in bag, tell me, ‘Boss say, tomorrow go Bangladesh for two month. [If] you no go, boss work permit cutting’”. Hossen Murad, 26, was still recovering from a serious workplace injury. Amid mounting medical bills here, his employer had sought to pressure him into returning to

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28 08, 2015

Shipyard work is not for dreams

2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 28th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Joanna Korycinska $6,500 is the amount Hossain Jakir (above, right) paid upfront to secure a job in Singapore. It took him two and a half years to recover this 'investment' before he started earning anything he could send home. With the median wage in Singapore this year at $3,770, it is very difficult for

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20 08, 2015

Can’t fault the employer, yet there is a trust deficit

2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 20th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

When workers first approach TWC2 for help, an experienced volunteer would run through a checklist of questions with him. We do this because even though workers are quite able to describe the particular problem they need help with, they may not realise that there are other issues that require attention. For example, a worker who has

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