By Chang Ya Lan Even in good health, a migrant worker does not enjoy the pleasure of a home in Singapore. Dormitory space is far from equivalent to what we take for granted: a place of rest and relaxation after a long, tiring day at work; a shell of privacy where rude and menacing people
By Lindene Cleary Shabul came to Singapore in 2009 to work for a marine company. During those five years he has dedicated himself to working hard to support himself and his family back home in Bangladesh. He’s never been injured, and has taken only a handful of days off for illness. Earlier this month, he
Once in a while, we come across a worker who tells us that he is treated well by his employer. Vijay is one of them. He has asked us not to use his real name because he hopes to continue working with the same employer after he has recovered from his injury. To reveal his
By Keith Wong "For toilet, must go very far," is how Syful Md Siddiqur Rahman puts it. "How far is far?" I ask. "Go into the jungle?" "No jungle there," he explains. "Go other corner [of] site. Very big site." Syful is describing his living conditions and the sanitation arrangements he has to put up
We didn't at first plan to write up their story because it was a story we've heard countless times before -- not that their plight was any less distressful for them. The men from Harri Construction complained of unpaid salaries, losing their jobs, and terrible conditions at their quarters. But two months later, the Straits
"You did Spit onto a Public Place (Drain)" -- this was the awkward and legalistic way Imran’s Notice to Attend Court described his offence. How was he to know that spitting in a drain by the side of the road was wrong? “No person shall spit any substance or expel mucus from the nose upon
Four people died in a relatively small fire that broke out in a shophouse used as a dormitory for workers from China, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia. The fire was reported at about 1:40am on Saturday, 6 December 2014, and put out within 30 minutes. The Straits Times and The New Paper carried the news in
Here's is an op-ed by TWC2's John Gee that was published in the Straits Times on Wednesday 3 December 2014: A win-win way to help injured foreign workers By John Gee. Straits Times, 3 December 2014 The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is considering outsourcing the inspection of workplaces to counter the illegal employment of foreign
By Eitan After a year of volunteering, I can now spot a new guy at our soup kitchen with little difficulty. Unlike the 'regulars' who know the drill -- present a meal card, sign into the registration book, get a token -- and who also engage in some banter with TWC2 volunteers, the new ones
A mere two days after the Straits Times featured with some praise two workers' dormitories converted from industrial premises (see Dorms converted from industrial premises said to be 'adequate'), the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) banned new conversions within twelve areas. In a circular dated 14 November, the URA said no new workers'dormitories will be allowed
