Short notes expressing TWC2’s position on various issues. Letters to the editor and other instances of public and media engagement.

25 10, 2014

How the migrant worker system is regulated counts for a lot

2019-08-30T16:33:00+08:00October 25th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Happenings, News, Our Stand|

This is the talk TWC2 vice-president Alex Au gave at the National University of Singapore to a large class (about 300 - 400)  of students from various faculties on 15 October 2014. The text here is a somewhat fuller version of the talk itself, which wasn't entirely read from script, and which was constrained by

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15 09, 2014

Overhauling Singapore’s migrant labour system – an alternative plan

2019-08-30T16:33:02+08:00September 15th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

By Alex Au Many stories on the website of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) tell of the abuses inflicted on migrant workers in Singapore. TWC2 holds the view that the regulatory system governing the recruitment and control of foreign labour lies at the root of these abuses. Fortunately, many employers refrain from taking full advantage

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11 09, 2014

MOM’s ‘rebuttal’ actually lends support to many points we made

2019-08-30T16:33:02+08:00September 11th, 2014|News, Our Stand|

By TWC2 vice-president Alex Au On Friday 29 August 2014, the Ministry of Manpower said that my letter published in the Straits Times forum 25 August 2014 (Salary non-payment a big issue for migrant workers) "paints an inaccurate picture". MOM's reply was published in the newspaper on Friday 29 August. The headline of MOM's letter

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10 09, 2014

About 70,000 workers live on construction sites

2019-08-30T16:33:03+08:00September 10th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash, Our Stand|

Manpower minister Tan Chuan-jin told parliament through a written reply that about 70,000 workers (presumably male construction workers) live in temporary housing located at construction sites. Most foreign workers live in purpose-built dormitories but around 20 per cent - or 70,000 - live on construction sites. The figures were released on Tuesday in a written

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29 08, 2014

The challenge of labour trafficking

2019-08-30T16:33:04+08:00August 29th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Media Coverage, News, Our Stand|

On 27 August 2014, The Straits Times published an opinion article by John Gee, immediate past president of TWC2, which the paper titled 'Ensuring better protection for migrant workers'. Here, John has revised the article slightly, elaborating on some points at the same time. By John Gee At the end of this year, Singapore seems

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25 08, 2014

Straits Times forum: Salary non-payment a big issue for migrant workers

2019-08-30T16:33:05+08:00August 25th, 2014|Media Coverage, News, Our Stand, Press Releases|

Further to the feature on poor accommodation for foreign workers in the Straits Times 19 August 2014 mentioned earlier in Cost implications of government policies crucial to question fo foreign worker accommodation, TWC2 vice-president Alex Au's letter to the Forum editor was published on Monday 25 August 2014: Salary non-payment a big issue for migrant

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20 08, 2014

Cost implications of government policies crucial to question of foreign worker accommodation

2019-08-30T16:33:05+08:00August 20th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Media Coverage, News, News Flash, Our Stand|

The Straits Times recently carried a story about foreign worker accommodation. Unfortunately, it didn't get to the heart of the matter: the way government policies affect cost and affordability considerations. The newspaper's 19 August 2014 story spoke about the rising number of vacancies at purpose-built dormitories. There are about 5,000 vacancies, said the story, though

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27 07, 2014

Woolim, part 4: employer pleads guilty, fined $36,000

2019-08-30T16:33:28+08:00July 27th, 2014|News, News Flash, Our Stand|

Buried within a press release by the Ministry of Manpower dated 19 June 2014, and titled Computer firm director charged for false declaration of salaries, was a paragraph pertaining to the Woolim case that TWC2 highlighted in earlier articles. The paragraph provides a conclusion to the case, saying: More recently on 17 June 2014, Woolim

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17 07, 2014

Get to the bottom of unfair maid placement fees

2019-08-30T16:33:29+08:00July 17th, 2014|News, Our Stand|

This letter by TWC2 immediate past president John Gee was published in the Straits Times on 14 July 2014: ---- Get to the bottom of unfair maid placement fees The imposition of considerable placement costs on domestic workers by many employment agencies has, regrettably, been a common practice since 1998 ("Any breach of maids' fee

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