News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
The Yawning Bread blog has a story of a Chinese worker cheated of 27,000 yuan (approx S$ 5,400). Arriving here only to find that the job he was offered was non-existent, he was then wrongfully detained by repatriation agents who became menacing when he wanted to leave for the Ministry of Manpower to lodge a
Questions and common defences for existing treatment of foreign domestic workers by their employers and TWC2's responses: 1. Don't most domestic workers agree to the conditions they work under? If a woman has signed a contract with the employer that says that she agrees to have no time off for two years, how can anyone
November 14, 2011 For immediate release Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) applauds Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin's personal involvement in raids conducted against substandard accommodation for foreign workers (Straits Times, 11 November 2011: Minister leads checks on workers’ dorms, by Kezia Toh), as a welcome sign of greater governmental attention to the issue
One location that was housing foreign workers was " abysmal" while the other was " over-crowded", wrote Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin on his Facebook wall after being with two raids on migrant worker quarters. Dated and clocked in the early hours of Thursday, November 10, 2011, the Facebook post said: Just returned
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In a follow-up story to that of November 4, the Straits Times reported Monday, November 7, 2011, that employers and recruitment agents are encouraging their foreign workers to apply for voluntary exclusion from the casinos before they arrive in Singapore, or as soon as they set foot here. Some employers are even making it a
In a special report on November 4, 2011, the Straits Times put the spotlight on a disturbing development: bosses who use their foreign workers to gamble vicariously at casinos. Employers typically provide each worker with $500 as seed money for the day. Winnings go back to the employer, except for 10 percent which is the
Thirteen workers died after falls from height during the first six months of the year, up from nine during the same period last year, reported the Straits Times on November 4, 2011. Falling from roofs led to three lives lost between January and June this year, compared with two for the whole of last year.
"You cannot choose your food... I will decide the type of food to buy for you. You cannot use the washing machine or dryer... you must hand wash your own clothes and bed sheets. And if (the children) fall down, it's your fault" – CNN cites this as one of the house rules laid down
In answer to a question by People's Action Party backbencher Fatimah Lateef about housing male foreign workers, Minister of State for Manpower, Tan Chuan-jin said his ministry was expediting the construction of more dormitories. He also revealed that there were 670,000 male work permit holders at the present time. In Parliament, October 20, 2011:
