Employment agents, agent fees
27
08, 2019
Foreign workers’ lives of waiting
Two Bangladeshi workers tell us about waiting. Waiting to get overtime wages, waiting to get claims settled through MOM. But waiting is not painless.
22
08, 2019
How do workers raise money to pay agents?
TWC2 volunteer Stefan dives deep into issues of loans, pawning, interest rates and repayment installments. Compared to the meagre salaries foreign workers in low-skill jobs earn, the numbers are disturbing.
27
05, 2019
More of here, less of there: Increase in repeat workers and fat profits for the underground job broker in Singapore
In this research study, TWC2 found that about 80% of South Asian workers were "repeat workers", a huge change from a few years ago. We also found that about half of them used a Singapore-based job broker to find a job. Typically, these are foreign workers themselves, not licensed employment agents. It's illicit but profitable.
28
04, 2019
Employer unafraid of workers taking salary claims to the authorities
By L. Narasimhan based on an interview in March 2019 "I wander around the city, going from place to place trying to find a new job," says Sukhwinder Singh, when I ask him what he has been doing for the past three months. "I wake up in my apartment, eat at Gurudwara [temple], and then go
20
04, 2019
Having signed and thumbprinted his salary payment vouchers, Senthilkumar faced an uphill task proving his claim
Senthilkumar's salary claim didn't end well for him. It went all the way to the Employment Claims Tribunal which found against him on 1 March 2019. In a nutshell, his claim was that the payment vouchers he was asked to sign (and add his thumbprint to) had amounts that didn't match the cash
16
04, 2019
Seven months, thirteen extensions, no progress
By Avijit B, based on an interview in March 2019 Gafur has had a turbulent time since the day he arrived in Singapore. In the space of seven months, he went from the hope of steady work abroad to the frustration of being stuck without work and pay. Borrowing money from relatives to pay for
1
03, 2019
“Money finish,” and “everything selling” while waiting for a new job opportunity
Most foreign workers in the construction industry are in their twenties. Volunteer Jeremy Xiao met a older man in January 2019, who spoke to him about the weight of his family responsibility and the struggle to land a job. Yet, some experiences are all the same whether for younger workers or older ones --
16
02, 2019
Are foreign workers abusing WIC claims?
By Debbie Fordyce The first graph (below) suggests that a disproportionate number of Indian and Bangladeshi migrant workers lodge injury claims within the first six months of starting a job. Moreover, TWC2's observation is that many of these injuries are minor and result in little compensation or will heal completely, thus meriting no disability compensation
23
12, 2018
Here’s Shakil, who has worked in both Dubai and Singapore
In Singapore, we rarely see workers who have worked in the Middle East before coming here. Why that is so probably involves complex reasons outside the scope of this article. Shakil is the unusual one. He spent five years in Dubai before coming to Singapore. We seize the opportunity to ask him to describe his
15
12, 2018
In-Principle Approval: uses and abuses 2011 – 2018, part 1
Introduction This five-part series of articles throws a spotlight on the In-Principle Approval for a Work Permit (“IPA”), a key document in the import of foreign labour into Singapore. Behind the document is a process that, over time, has shown several weaknesses. What began as a document and process to better assure migrant workers that