News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
By Spiegel A young man from Bangladesh was found hanged in his dormitory room in Kaki Bukit on Thursday, October 27, 2011, at about 6 p.m. Paramedics were called, but the man was pronounced dead. The Straits Times reported that he worked for "a company that deals with construction, repairs and interior decoration." However, TWC2's
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced that it plans to amend the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) to raise employment standards and the well-being of foreign workers. However, no details were announced in the statement released on October 11, 2011 – the ministry's addendum to the President's Address marking the opening of the new
A boss of a construction firm pleaded guilty on October 11, 2011, to ten charges of obtaining kickbacks from foreign employees. This was in violation of the law that prohibited employers of foreign workers from demanding or receiving any benefit for hiring them. Kenneth Lim Ong Long also pleaded guilty to making false declarations to
An employer who failed to pay wages to 73 foreign workers on time had his four-week jail sentence affirmed by an appeal court. The unpaid salaries ranged from two to seven months' worth. The Straits Times reported that Lee Chiang Theng, 58, sole director of Goldrich Venture and Gates Offshore, had pleaded guilty last year
Sunday Times, October 9, 2011, had a full-page feature about an issue that TWC2 has also noticed to be increasing in frequency -- doctors in private practice giving workers who have been injured in workplace accidents just two day's medical leave. The newspaper story headlined 'Lost part of finger, 2 days' MC' begins with Wang
International news network CNN carried a story titled Debts and dreams: Singapore's migrant workers on October 7, 2011. See http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/07/business/singapore-migrants/index.html. Opening with a scene from TWC2's Cuff Road Project -- our daily soup kitchen -- the 1,600-word story focuses on the way male migrant workers are exploited and abused, touching on key issues such as
John Gee responded to a letter in the October 4, 2011 edition of the Straits Times: Dear ST, Madam Chua Lai Keow certainly had a bad experience with her domestic worker who became pregnant, but this should not be seen as a reason for denying domestic workers days off when they can go out. Many
This is the unedited version of a letter sent to the editor of Straits Times Forum on September 30, 2011, in relation to an article that appeared in the paper the same day (see summary): Dear ST, It is good to see that action is being taken against employers who fail to pay workers' salaries
Six persons -- five men and a woman -- were charged in court for failing to pay employees' salaries, reported the Straits Times on September 28, 2011. Jufri Saini, 47, faced the most charges - 136 of them -- among which were 42 for unauthorised deductions of $100 each from foreign workers to prevent them
The Ministry of Manpower announced on October 3, 2011, that charges will be increased for the application and issuing of Work Permits. The changes will effect from December 1, 2011. The new charges will be $20 to apply for a Work Permit, and $20 for the issuing of a Work Permit Currently, the fee for
