News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) intends to amend the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act in 2012 to strengthen the regulatory hand vis-a-vis errant employers, reported the Straits Times, December 29, 2011. The aim is to "hold employers more accountable for the basic rights and welfare of migrant workers under their charge," the newspaper reported. This
Singaporeans should show our appreciation to migrant workers as they are an integral part of society and play an important role at that, said Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin in a blogpost marking International Migrants Day. "They are the workers that build the infrastructure that we enjoy every day and the very homes
The Settling-in Programme (SIP) for new maids, expected to start in the middle of 2012, is likely to cost $50 to $120 for a one-day or one-and-a-half-day course, reported the Straits Times, December 21, 2011. This estimate was given as the Ministry of Manpower conducted a briefing for likely providers of the course. Among conditions
Carried on page 2 of the Home section, the Straits Times (Monday, December 19, 2011) featured various non-profit organisations' messages and activities marking International Migrants' Day, including TWC2's. Leading the story was the call by Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics' (HOME) for a specialised anti-human trafficking law. "We urge the state to make our laws
Message to mark International Migrants' Day, 2011 by Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) Migrants on temporary work permits have long been the backbone of Singapore's economy. Today, there are 870,000 migrant workers in Singapore comprising two in seven workers in the Singapore workforce. These workers keep our houses clean, take care of our families, sweep
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) sent letters to two repatriation companies on November 18, 2011, putting them on notice not to abet any employer avoiding payment of wages and other amounts owed to workers, or preventing the workers making claims under the Work Injury Compensation Act or the Employment Act, reported the Straits Times, December
December 15, 2011 For immediate release TWC2 welcomes a new policy announced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on 4 December 2011 to replace the compulsory English written test for newly arrived migrant domestic workers with a mandatory three-day settling in programme (SIP). However, we call for MOM to ensure that the dignity and rights
Lim Seong Ong, director of Asia Link Marine Industries, was sentenced to eight weeks' imprisonment for inflating the number of local employees he had, in order to secure a larger number of work permits for foreign workers. The number of foreign workers a company can hire is linked to the number of local employees it
Challenging themselves to "do good famously", three interns from British advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty Limited (BBH) came up with the idea of having one of them, Ian Napier, live and work as a migrant worker for a short while, and report on what it feels like to be one in Singapore. His colleagues Mark
The Straits Times published an article reporting a complaint against a website (Employing a maid in Singapore) that carries employers’ allegations against domestic workers, along with their details. Former TWC2 president, John Gee, wrote to the paper and the letter was published on December 3, 2011, with notable cuts that change the letter’s tone. This
