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
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
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
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
By Vivek R It was a rainy day in Jurong Shipyard on Chinese New Year’s eve 2016. The worksite was particularly slippery as rain water coalesced with sand to turn the working grounds into slurry. But with the company falling behind on contract schedule, the work must go on. The day looked ominous but Muthamilselvan
By Teo Yi Ning It was only his third month working at a concrete casting company when Sheikh Mohammad Imran hurt his back. The concrete slab that he was carrying landed on his back when he lost his footing on a slippery floor at his worksite, leaving him with intolerable pain. He estimates that the
For a few years now, Transient Workers Count Too has been asked to give a talk to journalists gathered at the annual Asia Journalism Fellowship. The following videos are adapted from the talk that Alex Au gave on 8 September 2016. There were about 20 journalists in TWC2's Dayspace, from various Asian countries, Pakistan to
By Seah Bei Ying A heavy steel rod smashed into Razibozzaman's right foot Saturday night, fracturing a bone within. Pain shot up, and would stay with him for over a week till he made his way, against his boss' wishes, to a proper hospital. This was the same boss who told him that he would
By De Sheng Poh “So many pain, so many blood.” remarked Juyel as he recounted his harrowing experience immediately following a serious injury sustained in the line of work. Earning an average of $1,200 a month, Md Juyel Hossain Md Abdul Hai, a Bangladeshi national, is the sole breadwinner of his extended family, which consists of
By Natalie Choy An unsightly line stretches along Bangladeshi national Sujel's left forearm. The 12-stitch surgical scar is large enough to be distracting. “Inside have long metal rod,”Broken he explains, as he gently presses on the stitched area to show me where the rod was surgically inserted. The 25-year-old, who came to Singapore in 2013,
