Facts, research, analysis

10 11, 2017

Basic salary stated in IPA is “prima facie” the applicable basic salary, rules the High Court

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00November 10th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash, Our Stand|

In a landmark judgment released 1 November 2017, the High Court has ruled that the basic salary stated in the In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (IPA) "would constitute prima facie evidence" of the correct basic salary rate, unless the employer can prove otherwise. The bar for proving otherwise was also set very high. This

8 11, 2017

What are the rules for housing injured workers?

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00November 8th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Many injured workers, after leaving their dorms, find bunk space in Little India The law as to who is responsible for workers' accommodation is a dustball of words. The exact meaning is fuzzy and can be squeezed every which way. In practice however, the words are largely rendered moot. Employers have their own requirements

21 10, 2017

Caring for the caregiver: foreign domestic workers’ access to medical care

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:09+08:00October 21st, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

In a survey of 468 foreign domestic workers ("FDW"), TWC2 found that generally, their access to medical care for minor ailments did not seem to be impeded. Over 80% of FDWs were taken by their employers to a doctor when they felt ill and requested for medical attention. Over 80% said they were "not scared"

1 09, 2017

Research forum report, July 2017

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:31+08:00September 1st, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Happenings|

By Regina Ng and Emily Sugerman TWC2’s July 2017 research forum focused on the impact of migration on children in Indonesian households as well as health meanings for foreign domestic workers. Migrating out of poverty? Khoo Choon Yen’s presentation focused on understanding reasons behind children of migrant parents choosing not to continue with (higher) education,

25 08, 2017

Going cashless? Over half of work permit holders don’t have bank accounts

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:31+08:00August 25th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash, Our Stand|

Header of Yahoo News' article In early August 2017, it was reported in various media that public transport will be going cashless by 2020. By 2020, commuters travelling on Singapore’s transport system will no longer need to use cash or top up stored-value cards to pay for rides, said the Land Transport Authority

30 06, 2017

Straits Times reports on ‘gaps in Labour Court system’ and the plight of 5 Zach Engineering employees

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 30th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

Following the launch of TWC2's research report yesterday (see Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations), the Straits Times carried two stories Friday (30 June 2017) almost filling up all of page B4. Click to enlarge The newspaper noted that our research study found "significant obstacles and uneven enforcement" that prevent

29 06, 2017

Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 29th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Press Releases|

A new study released by Transient Workers Count Too on 29 June 2017 reveals challenges faced by low-wage migrant workers with unpaid salaries and workplace injuries in obtaining compensation and recourse. The study, conducted by researchers at the Singapore Management University (“SMU”) and Transient Workers Count Too (“TWC2”), reveals that significant numbers of workers face

20 05, 2017

Bangladeshi bank charges 10% interest per month

alex2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00May 20th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Street scene, Dhaka Rakib and Kanak don't know each other, but both come on the same day to Transient Workers Count Too with similar stories. The chief similarity was that they both had borrowed from Brac Bank whose branches and billboards can be seen all over Bangladesh. This bank is a major loan-maker

25 04, 2017

68% of construction workers work illegally long hours

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00April 25th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

Over two-thirds (68%) of foreign construction workers work so much overtime that their total monthly overtime hours would breach the legal maximum of 72 overtime hours a month. Of these, one in three (23%) worked twelve and a half hours or more in a single day -- which also violates the legal daily maximum of 12

6 03, 2017

Foreign workforce numbers 2012 – 2016

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00March 6th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

For easy reference in future, we carry below the statistics relating to employed expatriates/workers for the years 2012 to 2016, extracted from the Ministry of Manpower website on 24 Feb 2017. Equivalent data for the years 2007 to 2012 can be seen at this page. Percentage-wise, these are the figures: The next table shows quite