Our advocacy work is based on evidence collected in our research activities. In this section are reports, research findings, brief fact sheets and analyses.

11 03, 2019

The Cuff Road Project 2018

2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00March 11th, 2019|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

TWC2's Cuff Road Project (TCRP) serves the immediate needs of South Asian male migrant workers. Specifically, these are workers who are awaiting resolution of claims, complaints or investigations they've lodged with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), and have no access to paid work from their employers due to injury or salary problems or

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27 02, 2019

Average ECT order on employers to pay salaries in 2017 estimated to be around $3,500

2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00February 27th, 2019|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

At a Parliamentary sitting on 12 February 2019, Nominated member of Parliament Anthea Ong asked the Minister for Manpower this question: What was the value of unpaid salaries in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively, according to the orders made by the Employment Claims Tribunal on employers to pay owed salaries. Mrs Josephine Teo, Manpower

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16 02, 2019

Are foreign workers abusing WIC claims?

2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00February 16th, 2019|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Debbie Fordyce The first graph (below) suggests that a disproportionate number of Indian and Bangladeshi migrant workers lodge injury claims within the first six months of starting a job. Moreover, TWC2's observation is that many of these injuries are minor and result in little compensation or will heal completely, thus meriting no disability compensation

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15 12, 2018

In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, introduction

2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Introduction Accompanying this introduction is a six-part series of articles that spotlights the In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (“IPA”), a key document in the import of foreign labour into Singapore. Behind the document is a process that, over time, has shown several weaknesses. What began as a document and process with a laudable aim

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15 12, 2018

In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 6

2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Part 6: where we are now And that’s where we are at this moment. The In-Principle Approval for a Work permit ("IPA" -- explained in footnote) has travelled a long way, beginning life as a simple document that merely informed prospective migrant workers that a legitimate Work Permit awaited them in Singapore, together with basic

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15 12, 2018

In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 5

2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Part 5: the Section 6A requirement The long name for this rule is “Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations 2012, Fourth Schedule, Part IV, Section 6A”. The clause in the subsidiary legislation says: 6A. (1)  The employer shall not — (a) Reduce the foreign employee’s basic monthly salary or fixed monthly allowances to an amount less

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15 12, 2018

In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 4

2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Part 4: MOM begins at last to respond to changing circumstances In Part 2 of this series, we described how workers with salary claims often pointed to the stated salaries in their In-Princple Approvals for Work permits ("IPA") [footnote 1] as the basis for their claims. However, the Ministry of Manpower ("MOM") itself took the

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15 12, 2018

In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 3

2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Part 3: Getting around IPAs in salary disputes Part 2 of this series described the uneven way in which the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) officers and the ministry’s Labour Court [footnote 1] handled salary claims. Sometimes, the In-Principle Approval letter ("IPA") [footnote 2] was admitted as the basis for adjudicating claims. When that happened, employers

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15 12, 2018

In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 2

2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Part 2: Salary terms Very few of the migrant workers from India and Bangladesh working in non-domestic sectors have written employment contracts. Contracts are more common with workers from China, but typically these contracts are signed in their home country between the agent and the worker. TWC2 noticed that Ministry of Manpower (MOM) officers often

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