An inside look at work conditions, recruitment cost and deteriorating labour relations in a corner of the hospitality industry.
Two workers in quick succession come by and share with us the absurdities of migrant worker lives. But beneath the hilarity lurks the beast that devours all: recruitment cost.
A Chinese worker showed us videos of the bakery where he was employed. We were mortified. He was determined to bring the matter to light. Thank goodness for his courage.
Murugesan went to MOM to complain about unpaid salary. For months thereafter, he thought that the officer there would be helping to recover his owed wages. In fact, MOM was investigating something, but whatever it was, it didn’t necessarily include getting his wages back for him. TWC2 had to help him get his salary case back on track.
Mohatab showed TWC2 two IPA documents he had in hand. Both named him as the worker and had the same dates. But the employers were different as were the salary details. Another scam!
Mazumder's saga began 24 months ago. In it, two employers appear to have gotten off scot-free for not paying his salary.
Just because he felt ill on day at work Akanda was summarily fired. Is he optimistic about finding another job?
The kindest route to take in helping men with virtually no hope of recovering unpaid salaries may be to just give them some money and move on. But the argument can be made that this does not serve the public interest. Weigh the pros and cons.
TWC2 calls on the government to issue state-wide Stop Work Orders if haze conditions reach unhealthy levels to protect health of workers engaged in physical work outdoors.
Although the law says itemised pay slips should be given to employees, 22.5% of foreign workers polled by TWC2 did not get them. Some pay slips were also deficient in detail, falling short of law.
