It's never easy sitting across a table from someone who is distraught. As a non-profit organisation, we do not have legal powers to help; we can only assist with advice and by communicating with the rightful authorities on a worker's behalf, but in this case, Tian Jingjing's tale was that she had tried those avenues
By Rahul Advani Sitting across the table, I was immediately struck by his fresh faced, boyish features and cheery smile. It was difficult to comprehend how someone who looked so young could endure the difficult, physically-demanding life of a manual worker. What struck me even more though, was the level of maturity he displayed in
One by one, the men came through the door of the Ministry of Manpower until they were 46. Then their employer, whose name the men recalled as Farouk, stood up to address them. As recalled by Shahbas, "Boss he said, afterwards talking MOM, no talking alibaba." In plain English: The boss told us, 'Afterwards, when
Samad Hossain didn't think it was a critical problem when, one year into his job as a construction worker, his employer began deducting $300 a month from his earnings. It was explained to him that the deductions, spread over four months (October 2010 to January 2011) and totalling $1,000 (only $100 was deducted at the
(It doesn't start until 30 seconds in) Coming across this beautiful video, your correspondent was reminded of Jitu, whose story is here at Left for dead, Jitu finds his feet again -- except that that was written before another piece of bad news hit. Early November 2011, almost exactly a year after the accident that
Among the one million medical tourists spending some one billion dollars on medical services this year was the Bangladeshi Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. His ministry was established in December 2001 for the purpose of ensuring the welfare of the expatriate workers and the enhancement of the overseas employment. The minister’s visit was
Asadullah advises care when taking on jobs in Singapore In this short video, construction worker Md Asadullah Late Md Hasan Uddin speaks to his fellow countrymen in Bengali, advising them to be extra careful when seeking jobs in Singapore. The video was made in December 2011 when Asadullah was repeatedly abducted by repatriation agents who
By Jason Shut the blog down; it's illegal – so went opponents of SingaporeMaid.blogspot.com. The controversy erupted when the Straits Times reported on the blog, run by a full-time mother who goes by the online moniker ‘Tamarind’. The blog was meant for netizens to share negative experiences they have had with their domestic helpers. Argued
By Spiegel When young Sohelrana, a Bangladeshi carpenter, contemplated a return to Singapore in hopes for second fruitful working stint, he thought his younger brother, Roni Miya, should follow. Their father, a farmer, has kept his family of eight in good fiscal shape, but Sohel and Rony still harboured hopes of a better life for
Before leaving their home country for Singapore to take up new jobs, Aman Ullah and Rafiqul Islam received a letter each from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Titled "In-principle Approval for Work Permit" and commonly known as "IPA", the letter stated their jobs, the name of their employer, their basic monthly salary and other allowances
