Recruitment

13 09, 2017

Bangladesh’s Financial Express: The plight of Singapore migrants from Bangladesh

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:31+08:00September 13th, 2017|Media Coverage, News|

"The root of the problem faced by Bangladesh workers is a hands-off attitude by both governments. More on the side of the Bangladesh government," TWC2's Alex Au was quoted as saying in an article in Bangladesh's Financial Express newspaper, 9 September 2017. Another volunteer with TWC2, Nicholas Harrigan, added that the Singapore government should consider

1 09, 2017

Wage theft as it happens

alex2019-08-30T16:31:31+08:00September 1st, 2017|Articles, Stories|

There are many stories on this website about employers arbitrarily reducing migrant workers' salaries soon after the latter have started on their jobs. Employers and their agents promise certain terms of employment while the worker is still in his home country, but once the worker has arrived in Singapore, salaries are lowered and deductions increased. Sometimes, the

30 08, 2017

Letter to Straits Times: Set up portal for employers to hire foreign workers

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:31+08:00August 30th, 2017|News, Our Stand|

This is a continuation of an exchange of letters between the Ministry of Manpower and TWC2, published in the Straits Times. The earlier part of the exchange can be seen here. Responding to TWC2's letter published 23 August 2017, MOM's was published on 26 August 2017: MOM: Early reporting of errant employers sees better outcomes We

25 06, 2017

The Everglory scam: productivity incentive shot to pieces

alex2019-08-30T16:31:32+08:00June 25th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

Bikas (left) and Mazibar (right) were two highly experienced workers from the group of five This is a story of how one branch of the government undermines what another branch is trying to do. Low productivity in the construction industry has been a concern for years. Among the measures being tried is a push

20 05, 2017

Bangladeshi bank charges 10% interest per month

alex2019-08-30T16:31:33+08:00May 20th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, Stories|

Street scene, Dhaka Rakib and Kanak don't know each other, but both come on the same day to Transient Workers Count Too with similar stories. The chief similarity was that they both had borrowed from Brac Bank whose branches and billboards can be seen all over Bangladesh. This bank is a major loan-maker

20 02, 2017

Shortpaid, indebted and repatriated

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 20th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

By Jiang Haolie Molla Shohid will be put on a flight back to his village of Bhouria Challa in Bangladesh any day now. He does not know if he will be compensated for the promised wages that never materialised. He is not even sure of the day of the flight. His boss has kept him

9 02, 2017

Sujel’s agent charged him 26 times his basic salary for placement fee

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 9th, 2017|Articles, Stories|

S Peramaiyan (left) and Sujel (right) By Teo Yi Ning It is not often that we get to meet a migrant worker that has been working and living in Singapore for more than 20 years. Subramaniyan Peramaiyan first came to Singapore from India in 1995 as a construction worker, He paid $5,500 in

1 02, 2017

“Please change the system, and I will come again to work”

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:34+08:00February 1st, 2017|Articles, Stories|

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6f1FP_EgZU By Gek Han “Please Singapore government, please change the system, and I will come here again to work.” When Hossain returns to Bangladesh, he will try to find work in South Korea, rather than Singapore. Before coming to Singapore in 2013, Hossain tried to find employment in South Korea, because the South Korean

15 01, 2017

TWC2 survey: starting salaries for migrant workers flatlined for the last 10 years

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:35+08:00January 15th, 2017|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

Starting basic salaries for first-time workers from India and Bangladesh have remained more or less static since 2006, averaging slightly under Singapore dollars 600 per month. However, when adjusted for inflation, a downward trend is seen, and thus, in terms of Singapore purchasing power, average basic salaries have declined about 20% since 2006. The above

31 10, 2016

The price of a job

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:59+08:00October 31st, 2016|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

TWC2's latest research takes a detailed look at recruitment costs borne by female domestic workers in Singapore. Based on a survey of 232 workers conducted in early 2016, the study reveals how much they paid, to whom, and how many months' of salary deductions these payments represented. It also gathered their opinions as to