Discussion: laws and regulations

25 11, 2014

Blue Diamond director gets the blues: why can’t service sector staff come from India?

2019-08-30T16:32:57+08:00November 25th, 2014|Articles, Stories|

Singapore brings in hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from India and Bangladesh for the construction and marine industries. We also have large numbers of technical and professional immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. They need to eat. They prefer to eat at restaurants that serve their kind of food. To keep their customers happy, restaurant

5 11, 2014

Bhuiyan and friends defeated, part 4

2019-08-30T16:32:59+08:00November 5th, 2014|Articles, News, Our Stand, Stories|

Continued from part 3. TWC2 stayed in contact off and on with the four men from JS Metal Pte Ltd through the months following the lodging of their claims at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). For a while they had some work, all at temporary jobs "make furniture" with Delco Art Interior Decoration, located at Kallang

1 11, 2014

Construction workers will be able to switch to new jobs at end of work permit period

2019-08-30T16:32:59+08:00November 1st, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, News Flash, Our Stand|

Buried within an announcement about a new minimum percentage of higher-skilled workers in construction firms, the Ministry of Manpower also announced that work permit construction workers will be able to move to new jobs at the end of their work permit periods without first having to go home. This new policy will take effect from

25 10, 2014

How the migrant worker system is regulated counts for a lot

2019-08-30T16:33:00+08:00October 25th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Happenings, News, Our Stand|

This is the talk TWC2 vice-president Alex Au gave at the National University of Singapore to a large class (about 300 - 400)  of students from various faculties on 15 October 2014. The text here is a somewhat fuller version of the talk itself, which wasn't entirely read from script, and which was constrained by

24 10, 2014

Big hole in ground dug with big hole in worker’s pay

2019-08-30T16:33:00+08:00October 24th, 2014|Articles, Stories|

Yeusof (not his real name) knew there was something wrong with his monthly pay slip from Hyundai Engineering & Construction when he showed up for breakfast at TWC2's Cuff Road Project one morning in September 2014.  He was quite sure his employer had underpaid him, showing us his documents so that we might verify his

15 09, 2014

Overhauling Singapore’s migrant labour system – an alternative plan

2019-08-30T16:33:02+08:00September 15th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

By Alex Au Many stories on the website of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) tell of the abuses inflicted on migrant workers in Singapore. TWC2 holds the view that the regulatory system governing the recruitment and control of foreign labour lies at the root of these abuses. Fortunately, many employers refrain from taking full advantage

10 09, 2014

26 to 40 percent of male workers suffer illegal ‘savings money’ deduction

2019-08-30T16:33:03+08:00September 10th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

A new survey of nearly three hundred male migrant workers found that 26 to 40 percent of them suffered a pay deduction commonly known as 'savings money' -- roughly one in three workers. The deduction averaged $50 a month. An earlier survey (see: One third of male migrant workers aren't paid what they are due)

9 09, 2014

Your condition is serious, you must go to hospital, says polyclinic. “I no money,” says Kamal

2019-08-30T16:33:03+08:00September 9th, 2014|Articles, Stories|

By Stéphanie Psarski This testimony is a very good and heart warming example of how, to workers, Transient Workers Count Too makes a difference even in the tiniest thing. Injured on his back in July 2012, Kamal Mostafa has been waiting in Singapore for his case to be settled by MOM for two years. Not

7 09, 2014

Lebanese court rules that employer must return domestic worker’s passport

2019-08-30T16:33:03+08:00September 7th, 2014|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Media Coverage, News|

With permission from The Legal Agenda, TWC2 is pleased to reproduce an article from their English website discussing an important court ruling, recently announced in Beirut, Lebanon. The ruling discusses major issues: challenging the widespread practice of withholding passports the problematic nature of the sponsorship system violation of fundamental right to freedom of movement debunk the

Go to Top