Slightly over half the cases that come to us at Transient Workers Count Too's free meals programme come with one or more injuries. Almost all these injuries were sustained at work. A small number would have been the result of a traffic accident while the men were on board a company vehicle ferrying the workers
By Rahul Advani Sitting across the table, I was immediately struck by his fresh faced, boyish features and cheery smile. It was difficult to comprehend how someone who looked so young could endure the difficult, physically-demanding life of a manual worker. What struck me even more though, was the level of maturity he displayed in
The Cuff Road Food Programme is Transient Workers Count Too's signature project. Not only does it address a critical need among workers who have been abandoned and left destitute, it offers an important contact point between the organisation and those in need of help. Workers not only get a hot meal, they get a consultation
One by one, the men came through the door of the Ministry of Manpower until they were 46. Then their employer, whose name the men recalled as Farouk, stood up to address them. As recalled by Shahbas, "Boss he said, afterwards talking MOM, no talking alibaba." In plain English: The boss told us, 'Afterwards, when
Samad Hossain didn't think it was a critical problem when, one year into his job as a construction worker, his employer began deducting $300 a month from his earnings. It was explained to him that the deductions, spread over four months (October 2010 to January 2011) and totalling $1,000 (only $100 was deducted at the
(It doesn't start until 30 seconds in) Coming across this beautiful video, your correspondent was reminded of Jitu, whose story is here at Left for dead, Jitu finds his feet again -- except that that was written before another piece of bad news hit. Early November 2011, almost exactly a year after the accident that
Every year, three public hospitals see more than 15 cases of foreign workers whose hand injuries have not been treated properly, reported the Sunday Times, January 1, 2012, in a full-page spread. The hospitals were Singapore General Hospital, National University Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital -- these are the three with dedicated hand surgery
Among the one million medical tourists spending some one billion dollars on medical services this year was the Bangladeshi Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. His ministry was established in December 2001 for the purpose of ensuring the welfare of the expatriate workers and the enhancement of the overseas employment. The minister’s visit was
By Jason Shut the blog down; it's illegal – so went opponents of SingaporeMaid.blogspot.com. The controversy erupted when the Straits Times reported on the blog, run by a full-time mother who goes by the online moniker ‘Tamarind’. The blog was meant for netizens to share negative experiences they have had with their domestic helpers. Argued
By Spiegel When young Sohelrana, a Bangladeshi carpenter, contemplated a return to Singapore in hopes for second fruitful working stint, he thought his younger brother, Roni Miya, should follow. Their father, a farmer, has kept his family of eight in good fiscal shape, but Sohel and Rony still harboured hopes of a better life for
