Articles

24 07, 2015

Elayaraja’s hopeful beginning… and bitter end

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:26+08:00July 24th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Ranjana Raghunathan “Oh you share your name with the wonderful Tamil music director,” I try to break the ice as he nods, unimpressed at my remark. Elayaraja is from Killaipichavaram, a village near Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, India. He was earning about 10,000 Rupees per month (around $200) in India, from fishing. I ask

20 07, 2015

Little India: a surveillance landscape

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 20th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Shona Loong Sandir’s story Standing together in Lembu Park Open Space (the ‘Minimart’), 32-year old Sandir points to a spot on the ground and reminisces. In 2008, on the first of three migration trips to Singapore, the Bangladeshi man was caught for littering here. He professes to remember it clearly: after chewing on some

17 07, 2015

Injured worker needs money for treatment, employer turns hostile

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 17th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Lim Shaomin "See the doctor yourself, after that money give you" is the phrase most dreaded by foreign workers. The statement is duplicitous in its simplicity; settling injury claims are never as straightforward as they seem. Getting reimbursement can take months. In Moyjjin's case (as in the case of many others), it continues to be a frustration.

13 07, 2015

Case study: Two injured workers stuck for two years

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 13th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

A noticeable number of workers who have been injured at work lose over two years of their lives waiting for resolution of their cases. Typically, their medical treatment is largely over within months, but the compensation process (for permanent disability they may have suffered) can drag on for another year or longer. In the meantime,

9 07, 2015

Throwing sawdust at doctor’s advice

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 9th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Samantha Ege On 14 November 2014, Sarker Babu Sukanto should have been preparing to spend the night in hospital. Moments earlier, he had suffered a fall while at a working site in Kallang. The accident left him with severe pain across his right shoulder, down his back and around his leg. He recalls that in

5 07, 2015

“Cannot sleep… I remember my wife’s crying.”

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 5th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Kimberley Cham Four days. That is how long Humaun has before he goes back to Bangladesh. Back to his family, his wife, 9-month old son Tanjime, father, mother and 22-year old brother. Yet when Humaun reaches home, he does not return from a fruitful time in Singapore. Instead, he brings back heartbreak and gloom.

5 07, 2015

Section 22B of EFMA: a deficient law

alex2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00July 5th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

The story "Cannot sleep.... I remember my wife's crying" described the injustice done to Bangladeshi worker Humaun. He came to Singapore for a promised job only to be told there was none for him. The job offer had been properly documented through an In-principle Approval for a Work Permit (IPA) from the Ministry of Manpower,

3 07, 2015

Kuwait revamps recruitment companies for domestic workers, raises workers’ rights

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00July 3rd, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash|

Kuwait's legislature passed two new laws recently to improve the conditions of domestic workers. One of the laws sets up a new type of company for recruiting domestic workers to replace the private companies that currently recruit domestic helpers. The new type of company cannot take any payments from the recruited workers. According to a statement

1 07, 2015

Little India: a community landscape

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00July 1st, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Shona Loong It is 7.30pm on a Sunday evening, and I am making my way through the heart of Little India. Although this route is familiar to me, everything looks different. Streets that are normally silent and empty are transformed by the presence of large numbers of migrant men chattering away in Bengali. A

28 06, 2015

Akbar knocked out, but that’s only round one

alex2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00June 28th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

Akbar is at risk of being cheated thousands of dollars. This story is going to explain how the conditions for this possible outrage has been laid. 6:30 pm, 26 March 2015. He blacks out. Construction worker Akbar Hossain Abdur Rob will not regain consciousness till days later. That gap remains a blank; he only knows