Facts, research, analysis

16 06, 2015

TWC2 submits UPR shadow report to UN Human Rights

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:29+08:00June 16th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

Once in four years, each member state of the United Nations is subject to peer review with respect to its human rights record. The Singapore government will appear before this process, known as Universal Periodic Review (UPR), in Geneva, in January 2016. In the lead-up to this process, the UN Office of the High Commissioner

11 06, 2015

The Right to Rest: The effectiveness of the ‘day off’ legislation for foreign domestic workers

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:30+08:00June 11th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand, Press Releases|

Government legislation has helped improve foreign domestic workers’ access to compensation in lieu of a day off, but 59% of foreign domestic workers in Singapore still do not get a weekly day off. To mark International Domestic Workers’ Day (16 June 2015), Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) publishes a new report: ‘The Right to Rest:

29 05, 2015

Direct Services Report for 2014

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00May 29th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Press Releases|

2014 marked Transient Workers Count Too's tenth year. It was also a year in which the number of meals served at The Cuff Road Project (our food programme for destitute migrant workers) since its launch in 2008 crossed the 500,000 mark. For the first time, we were regularly able to shelter domestic workers who were desperate

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

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

6 03, 2015

88 percent of our 2014 spending was on charitable activities

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:53+08:00March 6th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash|

In 2014, about 88 percent of TWC2's spending went towards charitable activities, benefitting our clients in a relatively direct way. Total expenditure in the year was $463,025, leaving us with a surplus of $108,203 from the year's income of $571,228. About 94 percent of this income came from voluntary donations, with much of the balance

9 02, 2015

Korea’s regulatory system for migrant workers offers many features worth emulating

alex2019-08-30T16:32:54+08:00February 9th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

When an employer in South Korea needs to fill a position with a foreign worker, he has to apply to the central government's Job Center. This state body will provide the employer with three shortlisted workers and the employer has to choose from among them. When Kim Misun, executive director of We Friends, an NGO

10 01, 2015

Months after initial complaints to ministry, housing and salary abuses still surfacing

alex2019-08-30T16:32:54+08:00January 10th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

We didn't at first plan to write up their story because it was a story we've heard countless times before -- not that their plight was any less distressful for them. The men from Harri Construction complained of unpaid salaries, losing their jobs, and terrible conditions at their quarters. But two months later, the Straits

4 12, 2014

Allow injured workers waiting for compensation to work, e.g. in services sector

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:56+08:00December 4th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

Here's is an op-ed by TWC2's John Gee that was published in the Straits Times on Wednesday 3 December 2014: A win-win way to help injured foreign workers By John Gee. Straits Times, 3 December 2014 The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is considering outsourcing the inspection of workplaces to counter the illegal employment of foreign

6 11, 2014

What plagues the migrant worker

webmaster2019-08-30T16:32:58+08:00November 6th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

This paper by Meera Rajah, a young volunteer helping out with case documentation and follow-up, provides a good summary of the issues that migrant workers commonly face. It is however, not just a descriptive summary, but delves into the reasons why things are as they are, putting the finger on the inequality of bargaining power.