Articles

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

24 06, 2015

Quibbling about $20, checking every pocket

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00June 24th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Lee Min-wei In the wee hours of 3 June 2015, Juvy, a petite and soft-spoken Filipina domestic worker, mustered the courage to flee from her employer’s apartment. Leaving behind most of her belongings in a locked suitcase, she put what she could into a small tote and yellow plastic bag and took a taxi

20 06, 2015

Caught spitting and a life may be ruined

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00June 20th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

Have you ever seen anyone spit in public? Have you ever done it yourself? That’s what I thought: most of you have seen people spit and some of you have done it yourself. It’s more common among older people, and more common among men than women. I’ve seen many people spit, but I’ve never known

17 06, 2015

Wage protection system in UAE and Qatar

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:29+08:00June 17th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Our letter published in the Straits Times Forum on 17 June 2015 mentioned that countries in the Middle East have made it mandatory to pay workers' salaries through bank transfers when Singapore has not. This note provides a bit more detail about this point. UAE In the United Arab Emirates, which comprises Dubai, Abu Dhabi