From nearly a million migrant workers, here are some of their experiences

16 04, 2019

Seven months, thirteen extensions, no progress

2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00April 16th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

By Avijit B, based on an interview in March 2019 Gafur has had a turbulent time since the day he arrived in Singapore. In the space of seven months, he went from the hope of steady work abroad to the frustration of being stuck without work and pay. Borrowing money from relatives to pay for

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8 04, 2019

Rights don’t mean squat without accessible avenues of redress

2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00April 8th, 2019|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

The photo is of an illuminated billboard along Bukit Batok West Avenue 3. It seeks to inform workers of their employment rights, and is sponsored by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) the Central Provident Fund and TAFEP (Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices). The smaller words in the poster say: Get paid for

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1 04, 2019

MOM claims great effectiveness in a case when the facts point otherwise

2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00April 1st, 2019|Articles, Stories|

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) responded to our 20 Feb 2019 article 'Rahman and employer agree to settle salary claim... then nothing happens' with a statement on their website. That statement amplifies their ability to help, and implicitly accuses the worker of not seeking help when help was (said to be) available. The worker's misery

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24 03, 2019

Forced repatriation still happens — Bala’s story

2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00March 24th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

On this website, we used to carry a number of stories from workers who were lucky enough to escape forced repatriation. But that was several years ago. In the last 3 or 4 years, TWC2 received far fewer such cases. This reduction in cases could mean that attempts at forced repatriation declined, thus resulting

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20 03, 2019

How two bosses reacted to their workers filing salary claims

2019-08-30T16:30:44+08:00March 20th, 2019|Articles, Stories|

The same evening that volunteer Liang Lei was doing interviews for his story Why do injured workers flee company housing and do they feel safe enough to return?, two other workers came to TWC2 with housing-related woes. But their stories also shine a light on the way employers try to bully workers into submission. Borhan

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5 03, 2019

Why we didn’t help one worker

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

While we try to help every foreign worker who comes to TWC2 with a problem, our volunteers are realistic enough to know that some workers are not blameless. In such a situation, we modulate the help that we extend. About a month ago, a guy -- let's call him Sham (not his real name)

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5 03, 2019

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

2019-08-30T16:30:44+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

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