News – Page 53

17 12, 2011

In commemoration of International Migrants Day, 18 December 2011

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 17th, 2011|News, Press Releases|

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

15 12, 2011

MOM warns 2 repatriation companies

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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

15 12, 2011

SIP should include empowering domestic workers with knowledge of their rights

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 15th, 2011|News, Press Releases|

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

15 12, 2011

Director jailed over ‘phantom workers’

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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

15 12, 2011

Advertising intern does good famously

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:24+08:00December 15th, 2011|Articles, News Flash, Stories|

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

9 12, 2011

Website reveals unreasonable expectations of maid employers

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:25+08:00December 9th, 2011|News, Our Stand|

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

6 12, 2011

Settling-in Programme to replace English language test in mid-2012 for foreign domestic workers

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Starting in mid-2012, foreign workers taking on domestic work in Singapore will have to undergo a course known as the Settling-in Programme (SIP), announced Minister of State for Manpower, Tan Chuan-jin. The ministry's press release on this matter can be found here. The SIP will incorporate the existing Safety Awareness Course, but will include new

6 12, 2011

Finding love in a foreign land

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:25+08:00December 6th, 2011|Media Coverage, News|

The above was the headline for a feature story carried in the Sunday Times, 4 December 2011, about romantic relationships between foreign workers in Singapore. The newspaper's reporters trawled Lucky Plaza and Little India over two Sundays and reported that "foreign men and women holding hands were a common sight." Taking up a full page,

1 12, 2011

Jailing bosses who ill-treat foreign workers is good, but do more to help the victims

webmaster2019-08-30T16:36:25+08:00December 1st, 2011|News, Press Releases|

December 1, 2011 For immediate release Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) welcomes the sentencing guidelines laid out by Justice V K Rajah in his written decision issued last week in Lee Chiang Theng vs Public Prosecutor. Justice Rajah said that "employers who persistently fail to discharge their legal responsibilities towards foreign workers will ordinarily have

1 12, 2011

Four week prison sentence an inadequate penalty — Russell Heng

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In response to Straits Times' editorial following remarks by Justice V K Rajah dismissing the appeal of Lee Chiang Theng who had mistreated over 600 migrant workers, TWC2 president Russell Heng sent this letter to the newspaper editors on November 30, 2011: --- Dear Straits Times, I welcome your editorial remarks on abusive employers of