Labour relations

29 06, 2017

Labour protection for the vulnerable: challenges and recommendations

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 29th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Press Releases|

A new study released by Transient Workers Count Too on 29 June 2017 reveals challenges faced by low-wage migrant workers with unpaid salaries and workplace injuries in obtaining compensation and recourse. The study, conducted by researchers at the Singapore Management University (“SMU”) and Transient Workers Count Too (“TWC2”), reveals that significant numbers of workers face

18 06, 2017

Sumon’s salary case stretched for five months, exhausting his ability to fight for his full amount

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00June 18th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Liang Lei “I tired already”, was Sumon’s reply to why he chose not to continue pursuing his case, despite a settlement that will only entitle him to S$11,000. That’s half of the amount he believes is owed to him by his employer. Sumon has not seen his family for six years since his move to

13 06, 2017

Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers stuffed into office drawers

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00June 13th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Katia Barthélémy Heading to one of the restaurants in Little India where TWC2 offers free meals to injured and salary-unpaid migrant workers, I am wondering about the kind of life story I will come across tonight. As a fairly new volunteer with TWC2, my limited experience makes me think everything is about physical injuries.

9 06, 2017

How do you determine if your employer or doctor is “good” or “bad”?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00June 9th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

We wondered how a foreign worker might form an opinion whether he was getting adequate medical care. We picked a worker at random to see what he has to say. By Cheow Yong Jian Meet Kalam Md Abul, 28, a construction worker whose experiences leave him in considerable doubt on how to answer this question.

9 05, 2017

Today newspaper highlights TWC2’s work fatigue study

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00May 9th, 2017|Media Coverage, News|

Transient Workers' Count Too's Work Fatigue survey (see here for more about the study) was featured in Today newspaper on 6 May 2017. As often is the case in Singapore, the story leads with a headline ("Firms which don’t give workers enough rest taken to task: MOM") and a response from the government claiming that

25 04, 2017

68% of construction workers work illegally long hours

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00April 25th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

Over two-thirds (68%) of foreign construction workers work so much overtime that their total monthly overtime hours would breach the legal maximum of 72 overtime hours a month. Of these, one in three (23%) worked twelve and a half hours or more in a single day -- which also violates the legal daily maximum of 12

31 03, 2017

Construction worker says he was asked to repair taxi gearbox

alex2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00March 31st, 2017|Articles, Stories|

Singapore is so short of labour that a well-known taxi company has been relying on construction workers to run its vehicle workshops. They are asked to clean the taxis, but also "do gearbox repair," says Uddin Jashim, 31, a former worker there. Your writer asks him, with some concern, "Do you know how to repair

27 03, 2017

“My medicine all throw away,” says Miah Zilu

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00March 27th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Andy Lee It was just another ordinary day in January 2017 for Miah Zilu, working in a shipyard, when he fell down the ladder with a 16kg load. He was immediately sent to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. At the hospital, the doctor curiously asked why he still had not booked an MRI scan. The

4 03, 2017

There goes the number one worker

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00March 4th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Janson Chang “I was the number one good worker,” says Sheikh Milon, betraying a hint of emotion for the first time in our conversation, beneath his otherwise rugged, unflappable exterior. “I worked six years, no MC. Company grow from 40 to 400 people. But after injury…” His voice trails off for awhile, before fading

22 12, 2016

Father injured, son’s college hopes in peril

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:36+08:00December 22nd, 2016|Articles, Stories|

By Poh De Sheng Perhaps the chief reason foreign workers come to Singapore is the comparatively higher salaries on offer. Men will endure the hardship of separation, crowded living conditions and abominable hours of physical labour in the hope, not just of helping their families at home get by, but of helping their children and siblings