Articles

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

16 06, 2015

TWC2 celebrates International Domestic Workers’ Day

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:29+08:00June 16th, 2015|Articles, Happenings|

The ballroom at the Fort Canning Lodge was filled with excitement as 150 domestic workers filed in to take their seats around the fifteen big round dining tables. The workers wasted no time and started to pose for photographs with the decorations and backdrop for the event as pop music blared in the background. This

16 06, 2015

TWC2 submits UPR shadow report to UN Human Rights

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:29+08:00June 16th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

Once in four years, each member state of the United Nations is subject to peer review with respect to its human rights record. The Singapore government will appear before this process, known as Universal Periodic Review (UPR), in Geneva, in January 2016. In the lead-up to this process, the UN Office of the High Commissioner

15 06, 2015

Outreach to workers, June 2015

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:30+08:00June 15th, 2015|Articles, Happenings|

TWC2's monthly outreach took place on 14 June 2015 at Boon Lay. Two social workers, three interns and eight volunteers participated. Led by social worker Louis Ong, they fanned out to distribute TWC2 flyers and speak to workers to introduce the ways we can help them. We stress that our services are provided free of

13 06, 2015

Employer fails to pay, worker goes to jail

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:30+08:00June 13th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Alexandra Galvez “I don’t want to go to jail. I cannot come back to Singapore to work if I go to jail. I like Singapore and I want to continue working here. I need to provide for my family,” Ali (not his real name) is worried, his countenance darkening with anxiety and desperation. The

11 06, 2015

The Right to Rest: The effectiveness of the ‘day off’ legislation for foreign domestic workers

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:30+08:00June 11th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand, Press Releases|

Government legislation has helped improve foreign domestic workers’ access to compensation in lieu of a day off, but 59% of foreign domestic workers in Singapore still do not get a weekly day off. To mark International Domestic Workers’ Day (16 June 2015), Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) publishes a new report: ‘The Right to Rest:

10 06, 2015

Kibria asks for his overdue salary, immediately sacked

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:30+08:00June 10th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Chang Ya Lan At eight in the morning, Md Golam Kibria Rokon Uddin Molla would already have arrived at the construction site, dressed in his construction attire, ready for a hard day’s work. The company that he worked for was in the business of structural construction work – in other words, laying the foundation for

6 06, 2015

Domestic worker loses 20 kg in five months of hell

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00June 6th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Polly Perdereau “I WANT, I WANT!” These were Supinah’s defiant words to her husband when he objected to her going back to Singapore to work. She had stayed put in Java, Indonesia, for two years to take care of their only child. Despite her husband’s strong opposition, Supinah’s decision prevailed. Little did she know that

2 06, 2015

Right to salary invalidated by lack of information, costly repercussions from complaining

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00June 2nd, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Samantha Ege Information is what opens the door to knowing our rights, exploring our options and making conscious decisions. Yet, information is something that we do not always have. In the absence of information, our rights can seem invalidated, our options unclear and our decisions not so concrete. In the absence of information, we

29 05, 2015

Kickback intermediaries return “agent money” in a hurry

alex2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00May 29th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

Early indications were encouraging. Maybe it's a sign that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is at last taking kickback complaints seriously. But at the time of the interview, it's too early to say how this case will turn out. What is clear though is that Anwar Hossain Abdur Rab is happy. And very fortunate compared