Stories

8 10, 2015

Adjusting to bureaucratic Singapore: “All must evidence. One thing wrong also cannot.”

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00October 8th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Kok Rabin Have you ever been annoyed when others spell your name wrongly? What if their mistake could cost you $16,000? Sitting in front of me at Alankar restaurant this hazy evening is Pandurangan Madhurakavi, a tall man with broad shoulders and a broader smile. 37-year-old Kavi (as his friends call him) was in

30 09, 2015

Ankle broken, Nagarajan’s future bleak as a hired farm-hand

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00September 30th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Ranjana Raghunathan Adaikkalam Nagarajan, 32, was given a “special shoe” to wear for a month. “No other treatment! I was in pain for a month, even with painkillers. I was given light-duty for a month, no medical leave.” TWC2 has noted that many doctors don't issue full medical leave certificates, but only light duty

26 09, 2015

Failure to report accident complicates Harun’s access to treatment

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 26th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Hong Ying Harun Rashid Or has not had the treatment doctors recommended since his accident on 25 August 2015. While trying to understand why, the Ministry of Manpower's own processes come into the picture. As much as he is being victimised by a callous employer, he may also be disadvantaged by a bureaucracy too lax

18 09, 2015

Injured workers hit face-on with doctor and housing issues

alex2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 18th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

Medical treatment and housing -- two issues that workers, after an injury, find themselves grappling with. They shouldn't have to, and it is troubling to any outside observer that soon after an injury, perhaps still in pain with mobility difficulties, anyone should find himself with these additional complications. For a little insight as to how and why these

12 09, 2015

The ‘stupid boy’ with an ipad

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 12th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Elizabeth Zhou Sagor Mohammad and Abu Bakar (pictured above) are Bangladeshi nationals working as construction workers in Singapore. Not their first time here, both work permit holders are seasoned and familiar non-citizens[1] of Singapore with a close and allied network of friends and “family” -- relationships they have forged and accrued over the years.

4 09, 2015

Surviving on borrowed money and three shirts

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 4th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Daniel Ling “Driver put all my baju (clothes) in bag, tell me, ‘Boss say, tomorrow go Bangladesh for two month. [If] you no go, boss work permit cutting’”. Hossen Murad, 26, was still recovering from a serious workplace injury. Amid mounting medical bills here, his employer had sought to pressure him into returning to

1 09, 2015

Accused of salary non payment, employer gets inventive. MOM sees through it

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 1st, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Keith Wong Hossain feels vindicated. He came out of a meeting at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday with a 'settlement paper' signed by his employer in which is stated that he will be paid his salary arrears no later than a week from now. The amount of approximately $5,700 is also more or less

28 08, 2015

Shipyard work is not for dreams

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 28th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Joanna Korycinska $6,500 is the amount Hossain Jakir (above, right) paid upfront to secure a job in Singapore. It took him two and a half years to recover this 'investment' before he started earning anything he could send home. With the median wage in Singapore this year at $3,770, it is very difficult for

20 08, 2015

Can’t fault the employer, yet there is a trust deficit

alex2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 20th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

When workers first approach TWC2 for help, an experienced volunteer would run through a checklist of questions with him. We do this because even though workers are quite able to describe the particular problem they need help with, they may not realise that there are other issues that require attention. For example, a worker who has

17 08, 2015

Four men, picked at random, speak of low pay and hardship, part 2

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 17th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

Continued from Part 1: By Rabin Kok I am happy for Ishaq. However, Nitai Chandra Sarker, my next interviewee, reminds me that many workers are far less lucky. Nitai does not sport a smile – only a blank, wistful look. Like Islam, he too paid 400,000 takas (about S$7,000) just to secure a job in