Medical treatment

31 10, 2015

“Please get going” — polite way for boss to tell worker he’ll be repatriated for getting medical leave

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:23+08:00October 31st, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Ranjana Raghunathan I ask Balasubramanian Mangaleswaran if he requested for medical treatment from his employer right after injuring his leg. He replies, “I asked them immediately, they just said that they would not pay for it.” He was told, “you must take care of it yourself.” This is against the law (see box at

17 10, 2015

Broken bone in foot but no surgical intervention

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00October 17th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Samantha Ege “This leg, very big already,” Ali tells me, gesturing towards his noticeably swollen foot. On 23 February 2015, Ali was working as he would normally do, at a shipyard. He was dressed in the necessary protective gear, complete with brand new safety footwear. However, this was not enough to save his foot

30 09, 2015

Ankle broken, Nagarajan’s future bleak as a hired farm-hand

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:24+08:00September 30th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Ranjana Raghunathan Adaikkalam Nagarajan, 32, was given a “special shoe” to wear for a month. “No other treatment! I was in pain for a month, even with painkillers. I was given light-duty for a month, no medical leave.” TWC2 has noted that many doctors don't issue full medical leave certificates, but only light duty

26 09, 2015

Failure to report accident complicates Harun’s access to treatment

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 26th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Hong Ying Harun Rashid Or has not had the treatment doctors recommended since his accident on 25 August 2015. While trying to understand why, the Ministry of Manpower's own processes come into the picture. As much as he is being victimised by a callous employer, he may also be disadvantaged by a bureaucracy too lax

4 09, 2015

Surviving on borrowed money and three shirts

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00September 4th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Daniel Ling “Driver put all my baju (clothes) in bag, tell me, ‘Boss say, tomorrow go Bangladesh for two month. [If] you no go, boss work permit cutting’”. Hossen Murad, 26, was still recovering from a serious workplace injury. Amid mounting medical bills here, his employer had sought to pressure him into returning to

20 08, 2015

Can’t fault the employer, yet there is a trust deficit

alex2019-08-30T16:32:25+08:00August 20th, 2015|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

When workers first approach TWC2 for help, an experienced volunteer would run through a checklist of questions with him. We do this because even though workers are quite able to describe the particular problem they need help with, they may not realise that there are other issues that require attention. For example, a worker who has

17 07, 2015

Injured worker needs money for treatment, employer turns hostile

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 17th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Lim Shaomin "See the doctor yourself, after that money give you" is the phrase most dreaded by foreign workers. The statement is duplicitous in its simplicity; settling injury claims are never as straightforward as they seem. Getting reimbursement can take months. In Moyjjin's case (as in the case of many others), it continues to be a frustration.

9 07, 2015

Throwing sawdust at doctor’s advice

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:27+08:00July 9th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Samantha Ege On 14 November 2014, Sarker Babu Sukanto should have been preparing to spend the night in hospital. Moments earlier, he had suffered a fall while at a working site in Kallang. The accident left him with severe pain across his right shoulder, down his back and around his leg. He recalls that in

17 05, 2015

Did the police even know they were visiting a private prison?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:31+08:00May 17th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Sabrina Tay Cowering in severe pain, Shafiqul lay on the floor of his cell and dialled ‘999’. The police and the ambulance arrived shortly. At the same time, the doors to Shafiqul’s cell unlocked as if by themselves and the guards assigned to watch over him miraculously vanished. Shafiqul was taken to the National

5 05, 2015

He can’t see clearly through his injured eye, must he go back to work?

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:32:32+08:00May 5th, 2015|Articles, Stories|

By Sabrina Tay Amid the buzz of TWC2's free meals programme, Kamrol Sarker lays out his documents asking what they mean. There are papers showing medical leave and his work injury claim. TWC2 treasurer Alex Au patiently explains to him what each is for and what it says. His explanation sort of confirms what Kamrol