TWC2 volunteer discussing the news story with Bangladeshi workers at the Cuff Road Project In a promising development, the Ministry of Manpower has successfully prosecuted a Bangladeshi worker who acted as a job broker and who had pocketed some $30,900 in illicit profit. Roy Tapon Kumar pleaded guilty and was fined $30,000. This
By Janson Chang, based on an interview in September 2017 Remo (not his real name) is one man among many as he sidles forward in the queue to have his meal card stamped. He doesn’t say much, and is about to head off after receiving the stamp – till a closer look at his Special
"As of Oct 2017," said Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower, in a written answer to a parliamentary question, "400 [Work Permit holders have] changed employers after completing their work permit terms." He gave this reply on 6 November 2017. To assess the significance of this number, it is necessary to provide some background. Over
Asean heads of government put signatures to an 'Asean Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers' on 14 November 2017, at their recently concluded summit meeting in Manila. This document was ten years in the making, after Asean members first signalled their intention to arrive at an agreement of this
By Daryl Loh, based on an interview in October 2017 Ashiqur and Anisur are desperate. Time is running out. The Ministry of Manpower has told them their Special Passes will not be renewed after another two weeks if they cannot find new jobs. But how are they to find new jobs? They have no contacts, and
For the first time, a company director will be caned for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Goh Eng Kiat, 33, was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining work passes for 30 foreign workers as construction labour. It was fraudulent because the company, Jasper Contractors, did not require them and did not have work
Nick Harrigan (extreme right) moderating a panel discussion at another event This is a speech given by Nicholas Harrigan, a member of TWC2's research subcommittee, at the 'Health of Migrants and Refugees Workshop' in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 10 November 2017. This workshop was hosted by United Nations University - International Institute for Global Health. Attendees
By Chow Shunqi, based on an interview in September 2017 (27 Sept) He stayed as quiet as he could so others would think he was asleep. When it was 3am, he tiptoed out of the room, walked as far as he could with an injured ankle and found a hiding spot among the bushes. There was
In a landmark judgment released 1 November 2017, the High Court has ruled that the basic salary stated in the In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (IPA) "would constitute prima facie evidence" of the correct basic salary rate, unless the employer can prove otherwise. The bar for proving otherwise was also set very high. This
Video by Jonathan Ang, August 2017 Hosen Khalilur's experience is typical of the cases that come to Transient Workers Count Too. After sustaining a back injury at work and being placed on medical leave, company officials make it difficult for him to stay on in company accommodation. In Hosen's case, he tells us in the
