When a worker has paid a huge amount to get a job, he cannot afford to lose that job and will thus be vulnerable to unreasonable, exploitative demands by the employer. How huge is huge?
Beneath the veneer of workers saying they come to Singapore to get better pay and a chance of a better life, are there other factors that influence the decision to migrate for work? How much volition is there?
Work pass and Special pass holders made up about 40% of overstayers arrested in 2018, with tourists forming an even larger number. But they hadn't managed to evade the authorities for long.
Dating from 2014, this featured article is a review of the inequalities inherent in the employer-employee relationship with respect to migrant workers in Singapore. Citing cases Meera Rajah came across while volunteering with TWC2, she shows how these imbalances manifest in workers' lived experiences.
Many low-wage workers from Bangladesh continue to use an informal remittance system to send money back home despite it being an unregulated system. Why do they choose that?
Although the law says itemised pay slips should be given to employees, 22.5% of foreign workers polled by TWC2 did not get them. Some pay slips were also deficient in detail, falling short of law.
Abu Samad died of a heart attack while at work. He had a history of ischaemic heart disease. MOM's Assistant Commissioner for Labour ruled that his next-of-kin were not entitled to work injury compensation. The High Court overruled it.
In this newly-released study, TWC2 found that domestic workers had to "prove" themselves and learn to negotiate for their days off. Generally, it takes over four years before they can get two rest days per month.
In this research study, TWC2 found that about 80% of South Asian workers were "repeat workers", a huge change from a few years ago. We also found that about half of them used a Singapore-based job broker to find a job. Typically, these are foreign workers themselves, not licensed employment agents. It's illicit but profitable.
Construction workers tidying up at the end of the day The number of Work Permit holders in the construction industry has gradually declined since a peak in 2015. Last December (2018), there were 280,500 Work Permit holders in this sector, fourteen percent below the 2015 figure of 326,000. To a