Continued from Part 1. "Mustafa Plaza," Manik told the taxi driver. He figured it would be safest there with lots of fellow Bangladehsis around. He might get some help too. By September 19, just a few days alter, the $50 in his pocket was dwindling fast, and it was obvious there was no way he
By Ramesh First-time volunteer Jason Lim says the experiences of his youth shaped his views towards migrant workers and domestic helpers. “I remember being shocked when I asked my mom how much we paid our maid,” said the 29-year-old civil servant. “I think it was just under $300 a month and I thought it was
"Are you scared?" your correspondent asked Manik, seated across the table. His operation was scheduled for Monday, December 19, 2011, just four days away. He had never had an operation, never been under general anaesthesia before. He paused for a while, then nodded subtly. Your correspondent tried to reassure him: "You'll come out of it
Challenging themselves to "do good famously", three interns from British advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty Limited (BBH) came up with the idea of having one of them, Ian Napier, live and work as a migrant worker for a short while, and report on what it feels like to be one in Singapore. His colleagues Mark
On Tuesday morning, December 13, 2011, the boss of RegiCo (pseudonym of company name) called 23 employees, all migrant workers, to his office and announced that the company was bankrupt. "You should go to the Ministry of Manpower after this," he advised. One would think the men would have been anxious about losing their jobs,
Mahabubul Abul Khayer's employment history illustrates how exploitative and disgraceful Singapore's record of using foreign labour is. Repeatedly, employment agents made thousands of dollars out of him. At least in the early years, he got in return a job through which he more or less recovered what he had paid. Lately, however, the practice seems
This article was first published on Yawning Bread and republished here with permission (slightly edited). In a landmark judgement from the High Court, Justice V K Rajah not only dismissed the appeal of an employer who caused great suffering to over 600 foreign workers, but stated for the record that employers who "persistently" mistreated their
By Spiegel Ramachandran arrived six years ago. Leaving his parents and two siblings in Tamil Nadu, he found in Singapore a new life, steady employment, and a shot at lifting his family into a better existence. He earned his keep as a fitter at Jurong Shipyard, where his amiability and conscientiousness on the job earned
"I no money, I no job," said Kesar (real name withheld on request), explaining why he worked illegally for a short spell. After he complained to his employer about deductions from his salary, he was threatened. "Boss angry and he say 'I send you back to Bangladesh'." Fearing capture and forced deportation by repatriation agents
The midnight air was humid and still. Russell slid his car into the driveway fronting the block of flats marked for the rendezvous, turned off his headlights, and rolled down his window glass to listen intently to the sounds emanating from the block. Nothing unusual so far -- a bit of distant television, a mother
