News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
Seldom does a single worker get featured in the news twice. Rafiq Miah has that dubious distinction. He was first mentioned in the New Paper in August 2011 after suffering a foot injury in April, and then got hurt in a fire that broke out at a restaurant. He was staying in the room above
The death on the high seas of Eril Morales Andrade was featured in The Online Citizen's story, dated January 9, 2012. The case of this Filipino, recruited by a Singapore company, Step Up Marine, to work aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel, has been monitored closely by TWC2 executive committee member Shelley Thio for several months.
In a story datelined Jakarta, January 5, 2012, the Straits Times reported plans afoot in Indonesia to ban sending maids abroad by 2017 unless the receiving country recognises them as formal workers. Under the Domestic Worker Roadmap 2017, it wants to ensure maids are treated like other workers when they work abroad - earning minimum
Every year, three public hospitals see more than 15 cases of foreign workers whose hand injuries have not been treated properly, reported the Sunday Times, January 1, 2012, in a full-page spread. The hospitals were Singapore General Hospital, National University Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital -- these are the three with dedicated hand surgery
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
