News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
At the Migrant Awareness Week organised by students in the law school of National University of Singapore, 3 - 7 March 2014, a whole host of activities were on the calendar. For the forum of 3 March, TWC2 vice-president Alex Au (pictured above with HOME's Celine Dermine on his left) gave a presentation. Below is
The director of the Foreign Manpower Management Division, Kevin Teoh, told the commission of inquiry looking into the Little India riots that his ministry does not abandon workers. This was after TWC2 president Russell Heng had hold the committee in earlier testimony that workers "basically have to resort to charity to survive in Singapore" as they
By Woo Haoqi Instead of providing for his family, Rana Md Masud depends on his uncle for financial support. This uncle is also working in Singapore, but it doesn't change the fact that Rana is a burden to his family. Says Alex Au, TWC2 Vice president, “Rana represents one of those cases whom TWC2 feels
By Lucas Ho Selvam (not his real name) rests his head, heavy with worry, in his hand. "I very worry," he says. "So many nights I cannot sleep." He knows about a recent the report in the Straits Times: "22 Indian nationals charged for false declaration of salaries," ran the headline in the Straits Times
Transient Workers Count Too understood from indirect sources that the Ministry of Manpower originally had no plan to prosecute employer Woolim Plant Engineering for failing to pay correct salaries. For background to story, see Part 1 and Part 2. The reason given was (we heard) that the workers "didn't want to press charges." TWC2 continued
Transient Workers Count Too made a written submission to the Commission of Inquiry that has been set up to look into the riot that occurred on the evening of 8 December 2013 on Race Course Road in Little India. This was sent to the COI in the first week of February. The pdf of
In a noteworthy decision, the High Court ruled that the Ministry of Manpower's Assistant Commissioner for Labour misapprehended the law, applying it wrongly. The latter (also known informally as the Labour Court) had ruled in favour of the employer VGP Corp Ltd. But the High Court, in a written decision released on 31 December 2013,
This downloadable document is a consolidation of the various recommendations that Transient Workers Count Too has made to the Ministry of Manpower in the last few months and years, with respect to injured workers. Injured worker issues are quite distinct from the salary non-payment issues. For the latter, the recommendations are more straightforward: detailed itemised
Sunday Times, 9 February 2014 carried a feature article by Radha Basu, leading with a figure that Bangladeshi worker Hussain Iqbal had given TWC2: $1.50. That was the hourly rate that his employer paid him for nearly a year, despite a document issued by the Ministry of Manpower confirming that his employer Woolim would pay
Transient Workers Count Too submitted a 23-page set of proposals to government feedback portal REACH in advance of the 2014 budget debate in Parliament. Among the many recommendations are these key ones: A. Permit job mobility among work permit holders This is key starting point for the oft-stated desire to improve productivity in Singapore. The
