Stories

5 03, 2019

Why do injured workers flee company housing and do they feel safe enough to return?

webmaster2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00March 5th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

By Liang Lei, based on interviews conducted in Feb 2019 Home – a personal space. A fleeting sliver of timeless refuge after a long day of work. A safe haven. Does this hold true for foreign workers who have suffered work-related injuries? According to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM), employers are obliged to guarantee proper

1 03, 2019

“Money finish,” and “everything selling” while waiting for a new job opportunity

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00March 1st, 2019|Articles, Stories|

Most foreign workers in the construction industry are in their twenties. Volunteer Jeremy Xiao met a older man in January 2019, who spoke to him about the weight of his family responsibility and the struggle to land a job. Yet, some experiences are all the same whether for younger workers or older ones --

26 02, 2019

Work permit renewal: mysteriously elusive documentation

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00February 26th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

By intern Ada Cheong The past few weeks have frustrated me in my search for an elusive piece of paper in Singapore. Nobody seems to have a physical copy of it. And much like a mythical creature, it evades photography. Does it even exist? If seeing is believing, I must admit: I have not

20 02, 2019

Rahman and employer agree to settle salary claim… then nothing happens

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00February 20th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

By Grace Chua, based on an interview in August 2018 It has been three months since Rahman Mostafizur filed a salary claim with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Having started work in March 2017, he was dismayed to note that his salary was unilaterally reduced throughout the fourteen months of employment. Before joining Kah Development

18 01, 2019

Debt, jail and “no future”: an overstayer’s story

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00January 18th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

By Darrell Foo, based on an interview in November 2018 At TWC2's Cuff Road Project where free meals are distributed to destitute foreign workers, almost all the men's "makan cards" (meal eligibility cards issued by TWC2) state "injury" or "not paid salary" as their problems. My guess is that 99% of them have one of

7 01, 2019

Eight men surround Raju at a coffeeshop

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00January 7th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

We first featured Raju in the story To encash two cheques, Raju had to jump through hoops, which was about his last three days before going home. Prior to that, he was having difficulty getting due settlement of his injury compensation claim and this story below is about an incident during that period. -- By

27 12, 2018

Salary non-payment was first sign, then all workers lost their jobs

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 27th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Mohamed Kasshif, based on an interview in September 2018 “Boss say, don’t worry, still can work”; Zobayar explains the reply he got from his employer upon realising that his work permit had been revoked without notice. It’s been two months since he last received his salary and now he lost his work permit, making

23 12, 2018

Here’s Shakil, who has worked in both Dubai and Singapore

webmaster2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 23rd, 2018|Articles, Stories|

In Singapore, we rarely see workers who have worked in the Middle East before coming here. Why that is so probably involves complex reasons outside the scope of this article. Shakil is the unusual one. He spent five years in Dubai before coming to Singapore. We seize the opportunity to ask him to describe his

18 12, 2018

From overcharging to plain flouting of the law — Ratan’s story

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 18th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Katia Barthelemy, based on an interview in August 2018 Each migrant worker’s story is unique. Yet, in all the stories we hear at TWC2, we can detect injustice, lack of respect, abuse, illegal treatment or a combination of them. Miah Mohammad Ratan, like most migrant workers in Singapore, started his journey out of Bangladesh

15 12, 2018

In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 5

webmaster2019-08-30T16:30:45+08:00December 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Part 5: the Section 6A requirement The long name for this rule is “Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations 2012, Fourth Schedule, Part IV, Section 6A”. The clause in the subsidiary legislation says: 6A. (1) The employer shall not — (a) Reduce the foreign employee’s basic monthly salary or fixed monthly allowances to an amount less