News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
"A proposal that has received wide public support is on legislating mandatory payslips and salary records for all employees," said Acting Minister for Manpower, Tan Chuan-jin, in parliament on 14 March 2013. "Some MPs also raised this and we are supportive." He didn't mention that TWC2 has been pressing his ministry on this for years.
For immediate release Two anniversaries are taking place in March 2013: On 9th March, it will be ten years since the launch of The Working Committee Two at a forum in the courtyard of the old National Library building. It was from this ad-hoc group that Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) emerged, becoming a society
The Ministry of Manpower is launching a pilot scheme to allow four hundred Cambodian domestic workers in. It has invited employment agents to apply to join the scheme. The Straits Times reported that six agencies will be selected. (See Straits Times, 2 Feb 2013, Your next maid could be from... Cambodia) The 400 will arrive
Channel NewsAsia (reported) on 28 January 2013 that seven employers were convicted for failure to give foreign workers acceptable housing in 2012. In total, 1,062 employers were warned or fined in 2012 for providing foreign workers with poor accommodation, the news report said. Since only seven were "convicted", it appears that the "fined" were perhaps
Transient Workers Count Too joined with several other civil society groups and actors to issue a statement on allegations of police brutality made by two former SMRT bus drivers who are now facing charges for their alleged role in the "strike" of 26 and 27 November 2012. The statement: --- January 29, 2013 SINGAPORE –
For the first time as far as anyone in TWC2 can remember, the government has revealed how much it collects each year in foreign worker levies. Every employer who hires a foreign worker in Singapore has to pay a monthly levy based on a prevailing scale of charges. To a parliamentary question by Gan Thiam
Administrative fees for work passes will be increased on 1 April 2013, announced the Ministry of Manpower on 10 January 2013. Below is the annex to the ministry's announcement providing a table of charges before and after: While employers of Work Permit holders are supposed to bear administrative fees for application, issuance and renewal, the
The Ministry of Manpower invited public responses to a consultation paper re amendments to the Employment Act. The closing date was 11 January 2013. Transient Workers Count Too submitted a list of proposals. Click here to see our letter in pdf format. Our letter touches on several points important to migrant workers: We urge inclusion
In this video, Today newspaper interviewed two Bangladeshi workers suffering because they are receiving no income, when they have borrowed money to come here. Below is a transcription of what's said in the video that was uploaded onto Youtube on 4 January 2013. The accent can be quite thick and to help viewers, we've added
Jolovan Wham (right), writing in his personal capacity, sent an open letter to Tan Chuan-Jin, acting minister for Manpower on 7 January 2013. The opening paragraph references a defamation suit that the minister is threatening Vincent Wijeysingha of the Singapore Democratic Party with, over a previous Facebook post by the latter. Vincent was previously the
