Laws & regulations

21 03, 2018

Majority of Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore “did not get enough to eat”, says researcher

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:06+08:00March 21st, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

"The majority of respondents did not get enough to eat, regularly ate a limited variety of food, and often went to bed hungry in employers’ homes," reported Charlene Mohammed in her research paper publicly available at the University of Victoria website. The researcher is with the university's Department of Anthropology, and conducted her study in

16 03, 2018

TWC2 submits proposals for improving Singapore’s Employment Act

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:06+08:00March 16th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

The Singapore government invited submissions for proposed amendments to the Employment Act. TWC2 made a proposal centred on five areas which will benefit the most number of workers. As our submission makes clear, TWC2’s proposed amendments are envisioned to support all employees in Singapore. Even if some of our ideas are of particular importance to

25 02, 2018

A look back at job mobility policies 2011 – 2017

alex2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 25th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

There has been a gradual liberalisation over the last few years allowing construction workers to transfer to new jobs. This paper takes stock of evolving government policy in this area. Transient Workers Count Too has argued for a long time that retaining workers with experience in Singapore will be good for our much-hoped-for improvement in productivity.

10 02, 2018

Victims of unpaid salaries have hard time getting transfer jobs

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 10th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

One of the more encouraging things that Transient Workers Count Too has noticed in the past few years is that now, nearly all victims of unpaid salary are given a chance by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to look for new jobs in Singapore without first having to return home. The significance of the above may be

2 02, 2018

Anowar’s plight shows need for vibrant transfer-job market

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00February 2nd, 2018|Articles, Stories|

Isaac (L) and Anowar (R) By Isaac Ong, based on an interview in November 2017 Anowar arrived in Singapore for his current job with Akilas Enterprise in late 2016, working for several months without issues. In June this year, however, life changed drastically. He tells us that he was not called to work,

25 01, 2018

The man in the ministry’s locked drawer

alex2019-08-30T16:31:07+08:00January 25th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Alex, based on an interview in November 2017 "Why are you still in Singapore?" I ask Sarkar Debabrata. He is showing me a Special Pass dated 19 January 2017 -- ten months old -- which allows him to remain in Singapore until his case at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is concluded. Yet, in his

24 01, 2018

Asean consensus on migrant labour: gaps between reality and Singapore’s commitments

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:08+08:00January 24th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

In November 2017, Asean heads of government signed an 'Asean Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers'. The terms of the document were not binding, and every article within was made subject to national laws. Despite such inauspicious beginnings, Transient Workers Count Too has taken a microscope to the document.

19 01, 2018

MOM booklet sweeps forward, then stumbles

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:08+08:00January 19th, 2018|News, News Flash, Our Stand|

Arriving in our mailbox earlier this week was a new booklet published by the Ministry of Manpower, titled '6 Simple Steps to comply with Employment Laws'. This is indeed a good initiative; from here on, employers will have fewer excuses not to do things in accordance with the law. The six 'simple steps' featured in

17 01, 2018

Rafa and the line between white and black

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:08+08:00January 17th, 2018|Articles, Our Stand, Stories|

By Isaac Ong, based on an interview in November 2017 "This is my wrong but I don't want pay [you] money. Even if I go jail, [even if] I no company, but I still don't want pay money", Rafa (not his real name) was told by his boss. 49-year-old Rafa is practically a veteran of

26 12, 2017

The friendly man in the coffee shop

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:08+08:00December 26th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

Shamim (above) recounts a meeting he had at another coffee shop By Troy Lee, based on two interviews in October 2017 Shamim paints a picture of how he got his latest job. In the second half of 2016, while he was happily in his previous job, "I meet his man, Basir, at a