News and opinions in the public domain and TWC2’s response
Yahoo News reported on 15 September 2011 that 18 workers from China were recently jailed four weeks each for submitting false educational qualifications in order to secure jobs in Singapore. The full article can be read here. Many of those accused pleaded with the court to understand that they had done so under duress, as
Official policy is in the process of change. An inter-agency anti-trafficking task force was set up in November 2010, co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Manpower. Singapore says that it is now using the definition of trafficking in the anti-trafficking protocol (see Singapore falls short of international protocol) as the
Here are five reasons why the exploitation of low-wage migrant workers hurts Singaporeans' interests. Wages are depressed When employers get away with paying extremely low wages, or worse, promising low wages, but in actual fact paying even less than that through all sorts of illegal deductions, there is a general lowering of wage levels for
The Manpower Ministry (MOM) said it is currently reviewing the call for the government to implement a weekly rest day for domestic maids with compensation in-lieu. In an email reply to Channel NewsAsia, MOM said it will consult with various stakeholders including employers, employment agencies and non-governmental organisations. Members of the public can email their
ST9 Pte Ltd was fined $50,000 for having more than 1,100 workers at three "dormitories" converted from factories at Woodlands Industrial Park. The men were housed in overcrowded conditions, reported to be at twice the occupant loads. 600 workers were found staying in parts of the buildings that had not been approved for housing. Sunhuan
Statement issued by representatives of 37 organisations meeting in Singapore (including TWC2) calls for regional support for a Domestic Workers' Convention when it comes to a decision at the International Labour Conference in June: Click here to download the statement For more details: http://www.mfasia.org/
Transient Workers Count Too and HOME sent a joint letter to the National Wages Council in April 2011: --- 5 April 2011 The Secretary National Wages Council C/O Labour Relations Department Level 6, Ministry of Manpower 18 Havelock Road Singapore 059764 Dear Sir, VIEWS ON NATIONAL WAGES GUIDELINES 2011 The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics
While this is a report by Amnesty International on Malaysia, Singapore too canes visa overstayers (see Fact sheet: Overstaying by more than 90 days can lead to caning). However, TWC2 does not have statistics on the number of persons so punished in Singapore. ------ Malaysian government reveals nearly 30,000 foreigners caned by Amnesty International March
TWC2 calls for Singapore to support the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 7th December 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Singapore, December 8th, 2010: There are now 214 million international migrants, according to the latest annual report of the International Organisation for Migration, and
When they first opened, there was some excitement over the issue of migrant workers going to Singapore’s casinos. During the first week after the Resorts World casino opened on Sentosa Island, there were reports that male migrant workers were ‘swarming’ it, grabbing free drinks and generally getting in the way of local gamblers – and,
