Stories

14 08, 2018

Where the silver lining ends: Safiar’s hopes of avoiding further indebtedness thwarted by bureaucratic opacity

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:02+08:00August 14th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Alston Ng based on an interview in June 2018 According to a Bloomberg article (footnote 1) dated to Jan 2017, Singaporeans face the shortest unemployment period in the world, spending a median duration of merely two months before finding new jobs. No doubt, such a short transition period indicates market resilience and points to

10 08, 2018

Re attempts at salary reduction, MOM ties itself in knots

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00August 10th, 2018|Articles, News, Our Stand, Stories|

Based on details collected from casework in May and June 2018 When Rahman Safiar went to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to get his Work Permit processed, he was in for a shock. It was not even two weeks after arriving in Singapore for a new job with a promised basic salary of $1,600 per

5 08, 2018

Unreported work injuries: more than a matter of statistics

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00August 5th, 2018|Articles, News, Our Stand, Stories|

By Liang Lei, based on interviews in June 2018 It is common knowledge that timely diagnosis and treatment of injuries go a long way in minimizing pain and speeding up recovery. In Singapore, the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) seeks to enable that, by allowing employees injured at work to file claims for, amongst other

25 07, 2018

False hope, hesitant trust and bureaucratic complexities

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00July 25th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Liang Lei, based on an interview in May 2018 Received unexpectedly dismal scores for an assessment? Appeal. Although this “survival tactic” for examinations seems to transcend cultures, the consequences can vary drastically from one situation to another. In the case of a foreign worker’s Permanent Incapacity Compensation score, a hasty decision to appeal may

21 07, 2018

Surgery not covered by insurance, says boss. Go back to India instead

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00July 21st, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Nicholas Lee based on an interview in May 2018 The crowd at TWC2's food programme grows as the hour for the breaking of the Ramadan fast approaches. Among the non-Muslims is Paranthaman Arulvendan, registering himself with TWC2 for the first time. But he's not new to Singapore. Arul has been working here since the

15 07, 2018

More frauds committed using ministry letterhead

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00July 15th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

In October 2017, we carried a story Fraud committed using ministry letterhead [link] about how a worker was misled about the salary he would be getting before he signed on for a job in Singapore. While, as we explained in that article, we did not know who exactly was the culprit, the fact that a scam

9 07, 2018

Life and happiness for some, downward spiral for Alam

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00July 9th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Sun Hanchen, based on an interview in March 2018 Money is not important, they say. Chase your own happiness, they say. Live for yourself, for life is meant to be enjoyed. As a middle class, soon-to-be-university educated, Chinese (read: majority) person, I often hear this advice from my more carefree friends – who are,

9 07, 2018

MOM accuses us of “inaccurate or false information” — here’s our response

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00July 9th, 2018|Articles, News, Our Stand, Stories|

This is TWC2's response to a statement by the Ministry of Manpower over "inaccurate or false information" in our recent stories. The statement was dated 6 July 2018 and carried on the government's "Factually" website. From time to time, differences will occur between what TWC2 records workers to be saying in our interviews, and what MOM

5 07, 2018

$55 a day and the bright side of things

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00July 5th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Philomène Franssen based on an interview in April 2018 It is quite an unusual story that I got to hear at TWC2's Cuff Road Project food programme, one Monday evening. Indeed, as a volunteer member of the Communications team, when I sign up to interview one of the migrant workers that TWC2 assists, I

26 06, 2018

Mithun’s first 20 minutes with TWC2

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:04+08:00June 26th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Zhan Nanxin, from an evening in March 2018 Like many other first timers, Sheikh Mohammad Mithun comes to Transient Workers Count Too's Dayspace in Little India unsure of what to expect, hoping for advice and help. What catches our eye is the large bag of medication in his left hand. That's quite unusual. He