Articles

25 05, 2015

Worker asks an inconvenient question, finds himself out of a job

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00May 25th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By William Chin The laws are there and the processes are supposed to be in place to help employees who have been injured at work. Saiful's story however, gives a glimpse of the hoops that migrant workers have to jump through and the price they pay. On 3 December 2013, Saiful Islam Lokman Hossain sustained

21 05, 2015

Just passing through

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00May 21st, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Kellynn Wee and Marusa Godina The Singapore passport is powerful. According to the international 2014 Visa Restrictions Index, this neat crimson document offers Singaporeans visa-free travel to 167 out of 219 countries in the world, making our passport sixth in the world in terms of global mobility. Singaporeans’ easy trips in and out of

17 05, 2015

Did the police even know they were visiting a private prison?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00May 17th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Sabrina Tay Cowering in severe pain, Shafiqul lay on the floor of his cell and dialled ‘999’. The police and the ambulance arrived shortly. At the same time, the doors to Shafiqul’s cell unlocked as if by themselves and the guards assigned to watch over him miraculously vanished. Shafiqul was taken to the National

13 05, 2015

No pay unless you work, go back to India if you don’t — worker with arm in cast is told

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

By Ranjana Raghunathan Vadivelan asks me nervously, “Can I trust these [TWC2 volunteers] people? They asked if I was willing to tell you my story, and I just shared everything with you. But I do not know what will happen. Will I get into more trouble if I share my story? I am entangled in

12 05, 2015

Poor deals over meals: uncovering regulatory, attitudinal and social shortcomings

alex2019-08-30T16:32:32+08:00May 12th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Alex Au The above photo was taken around 11:30 am at a void deck below a block of flats. It shows packets of lunch on a broken chair. There were roadworks going on nearby and these packets were almost surely lunch for the crew. What's not in the photo was a Town Council cleaner

9 05, 2015

Wages low, partly unpaid, now Sabuj must pay for medical treatment too

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

By Polly Perdereau “Working very good, accident no good”. This, in his own words, is Sabuj’s sad realisation about life after an injury. Sikder Sabuj started working in Singapore three years ago. He is from Bangladesh. According to him, he had to shell out $9,000 in "agent money" to be able to come here to

5 05, 2015

He can’t see clearly through his injured eye, must he go back to work?

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

By Sabrina Tay Amid the buzz of TWC2's free meals programme, Kamrol Sarker lays out his documents asking what they mean. There are papers showing medical leave and his work injury claim. TWC2 treasurer Alex Au patiently explains to him what each is for and what it says. His explanation sort of confirms what Kamrol

1 05, 2015

Bees want to kill me

webmaster2019-09-25T13:14:02+08:00May 1st, 2015|Articles, Stories|

Sadhin worked for a small roofing company. He was, in fact, the only worker and he and his boss were often the only two on the job. On 17 October 2013 Sadhin was working on the roof of a private home, tasked with cleaning the roof before the repairs could begin. In the process

29 04, 2015

100 women who care about TWC2

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

By Russell Heng On an afternoon in March 2015, Vanessa Hardinge spoke passionately to a room of colleagues and friends about how tough life can be for many foreign workers in Singapore. At the end of her speech, Transient Workers Count Too was richer by $7,600. Meanwhile TWC2 was totally unaware of what was happening.

26 04, 2015

Worker offers to pay for own medication, yet employer refuses assistance

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

By Lim Shaomin "Four days how to tahan?" says Selim, using a local colloquialism meaning 'withstand'. "Hospital follow boss instructions." I am speaking to Selim Mahmud Babu regarding his most recent injury -- several broken bones in the fourth fingers of his left hand. West Point Hospital gave him four days of medical leave. He