Our Stand

23 08, 2017

Letter to Straits Times: MOM’s advice out of step with reality

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:31+08:00August 23rd, 2017|Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

Straits Times' photo of the rented room in Geylang where the SJH workers are currently staying On 13 August 2017, the Straits Times highlighted the case of over a dozen Bangladeshi workers from SJH Trading. They told the newspaper that they had not been paid their salaries. Most are in their 40s, and

14 07, 2017

Migrant workers in Singapore “vulnerable to forced labor, including debt bondage”, says US TIP 2017 report

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00July 14th, 2017|News, Our Stand|

Transient Workers Count Too is deeply appreciative of the US State Department's efforts at drawing attention to the evil of trafficking in persons, through its annual Trafficking in Persons Report. The 2017 segment relating to Singapore can be found here: https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2017/271276.htm Singapore was classed as Tier 2. TWC2 notes in particular these comments in the report:

30 06, 2017

Straits Times reports on ‘gaps in Labour Court system’ and the plight of 5 Zach Engineering employees

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 30th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

Following the launch of TWC2's research report yesterday (see Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations), the Straits Times carried two stories Friday (30 June 2017) almost filling up all of page B4. Click to enlarge The newspaper noted that our research study found "significant obstacles and uneven enforcement" that prevent

7 05, 2017

TWC2 participates in country review of Bangladesh at the United Nations in Geneva

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00May 7th, 2017|Articles, Happenings, News, Our Stand|

Transient Workers Count Too was represented at a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, where the Bangladesh government's handling of migrant worker issues came under scrutiny. Specifically, Bangladesh's governance was reviewed against its commitments to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families. Bangladesh ratified this convention in August

25 04, 2017

68% of construction workers work illegally long hours

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00April 25th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

Over two-thirds (68%) of foreign construction workers work so much overtime that their total monthly overtime hours would breach the legal maximum of 72 overtime hours a month. Of these, one in three (23%) worked twelve and a half hours or more in a single day -- which also violates the legal daily maximum of 12

25 03, 2017

The New Paper: Jobless and unpaid, foreign workers face daunting fate

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00March 25th, 2017|Media Coverage, News, News Flash, Our Stand|

The difficulties faced by foreign workers in Singapore seeking alternative jobs -- even when permitted to do so by the Ministry of Manpower -- were highlighted in a story in The New Paper 24 March 2017. The focus was on the men from HBB Engineering and related company C-Plus Engineering, featured in our post MOM

13 03, 2017

TWC2 and HOME submit joint shadow report on Bangladesh re Migrant Worker Convention

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00March 13th, 2017|Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

Transient Workers Count Too and the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) submitted a joint shadow report to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW) on Bangladesh. It was submitted via the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. This

26 02, 2017

Harri boss finally sent to jail for salary and housing abuses

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 26th, 2017|Articles, News, News Flash, Our Stand, Stories|

In an encouraging development, the prosecutor in a recent case made the argument that using the threat of dismissal and repatriation to compel foreign workers to accept lower wages would constitute an offence. According to a news story in Today newspaper, Nallusamy Narayanan, the boss of a number of companies under the Harri name, had

14 02, 2017

Employers should purchase more insurance, salutary lesson shows

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 14th, 2017|Articles, News, Our Stand, Stories|

We'll call the worker 'Byoghu' in this story. He had worked before in Singapore and quite successfully. But when he returned for a second job, he soon fell ill. In the first two weeks on the job, he had a fever and was given medical leave. The employer decided to cancel his Work Permit on

24 01, 2017

Straits Times: Gap in law to protect workers

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:35+08:00January 24th, 2017|Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

Journalist Toh Yong Chuan had a short op-ed on page 2 of the Straits Times 24 Jan 2017 following his two reports of workers who could not collect on their Labour Court awards. See these stories on Islam Rafiqul and Sujan Ahmed. He argued that it was important to plug the gap in the law,