Facts, research, analysis

8 09, 2015

The day an employer came to us for help

alex2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 8th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Alex Au One afternoon late March 2015, an employer came to Transient Workers Count Too to see if we could help him. "He was almost in tears," said my colleague Russell Heng who devoted more than half an hour lending him a sympathetic ear. He was a contractor with over a hundred workers, but he

24 08, 2015

Little India: a learning landscape

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 24th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Shona Loong It is a sunny Saturday morning, and I am having a coffee with Jamail—a 32-year old Bangladeshi migrant—in a kopitiam on Veerasamy Road. As we talk, I can sense the uncle at the next table sneaking glances at us. Surely this is a curious sight: there are other Singaporean women and Bangladeshi

20 08, 2015

Can’t fault the employer, yet there is a trust deficit

alex2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 20th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

When workers first approach TWC2 for help, an experienced volunteer would run through a checklist of questions with him. We do this because even though workers are quite able to describe the particular problem they need help with, they may not realise that there are other issues that require attention. For example, a worker who has

1 08, 2015

TWC2 opens Day Space — to rest, learn, serve and grow

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:26+08:00August 1st, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Happenings|

As the organisation grows, having adequate space is always a challenge. In June 2015, an opportunity came up: the space above one of the restaurants where we serve our free meals under the Cuff Road Project became available. With rent at a very reasonable rate, TWC2 took it over for use as our Day Space.

28 07, 2015

Marine workers earn less than working at McDonald’s

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:26+08:00July 28th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

By William Chin I was told that working in the marine industry is a lucrative segment, which pays higher than an average job. Economics 101 teaches that jobs that are dangerous would pay more than an average job to draw applicants. That is until one evening, when I meet the trio of Uddin Mohin, Md

20 07, 2015

Little India: a surveillance landscape

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 20th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Shona Loong Sandir’s story Standing together in Lembu Park Open Space (the ‘Minimart’), 32-year old Sandir points to a spot on the ground and reminisces. In 2008, on the first of three migration trips to Singapore, the Bangladeshi man was caught for littering here. He professes to remember it clearly: after chewing on some

5 07, 2015

Section 22B of EFMA: a deficient law

alex2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00July 5th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

The story "Cannot sleep.... I remember my wife's crying" described the injustice done to Bangladeshi worker Humaun. He came to Singapore for a promised job only to be told there was none for him. The job offer had been properly documented through an In-principle Approval for a Work Permit (IPA) from the Ministry of Manpower,

3 07, 2015

Kuwait revamps recruitment companies for domestic workers, raises workers’ rights

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00July 3rd, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash|

Kuwait's legislature passed two new laws recently to improve the conditions of domestic workers. One of the laws sets up a new type of company for recruiting domestic workers to replace the private companies that currently recruit domestic helpers. The new type of company cannot take any payments from the recruited workers. According to a statement

1 07, 2015

Little India: a community landscape

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:32:28+08:00July 1st, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

By Shona Loong It is 7.30pm on a Sunday evening, and I am making my way through the heart of Little India. Although this route is familiar to me, everything looks different. Streets that are normally silent and empty are transformed by the presence of large numbers of migrant men chattering away in Bengali. A

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