Relationships between employers and employees
31
03, 2026
Dry numbers on time logs “cannot feel my body”
This story dives into two construction workers' time logs; they tell a tale of exhaustion.
15
03, 2026
“Every day hotel … change; daily change”
Over 120 migrant workers from three linked companies lost their jobs late 2025. For many of them it's a struggle to get a bed for the night and food in the stomach. The law is clear, but enforcement is mysteriously absent.
9
03, 2026
Boss does not pay salary, prefers a cover-up – Proddi’s story
An employer had not paid his workers' salaries for five months. A few men went to MOM to file claims. In case the remaining men also do so, the employer had a plan: create evidence that salaries had been paid.
3
03, 2026
Boss does not pay salary, prefers a cover-up – Bissek’s story
Not having paid his workers' salaries for five months, a boss comes up with a ruse to create a paper and video record that salaries had actually been paid, perhaps hoping to stymie any salary complaints at MOM.
31
01, 2026
Made in Dhaka: principles, false documents and videos
Here is another shipyard worker, with a recruitment fee story like many others, except that the details show how involved the employer was in the fee negotiations.
20
01, 2026
Broken ankle, but no medical leave
Many injured workers report that company representatives accompany them to doctor appointments, and influence doctors' actions. Here's one case and its implications.
27
12, 2025
The job was bad, the head chef made it impossible
A migrant employee at a midprice restaurant recounts the many things that made the job unbearable: salary violations, long hours, and the cook.
24
12, 2025
Our comments on MOM’s migrant worker survey 2024, part 5 (Passports, meals and glowing numbers)
The topline is that 95% of migrant workers are satisfied working in Singapore. What does that really mean? Where are possible problems?
22
12, 2025
Our comments on MOM’s migrant worker survey 2024, part 4 (IPAs and salaries)
The topline is that 95% of migrant workers are satisfied working in Singapore. What does that really mean? Where are possible problems?
20
12, 2025
Our comments on MOM’s migrant worker survey 2024, part 3 (worker satisfaction)
The topline is that 95% of migrant workers are satisfied working in Singapore. What does that really mean? Where are possible problems?