By Philomène Franssen based on an interview in January 2018 Those words in the headline I quote from Nazrul, a disillusioned worker currently waiting for the court hearing that will handle his salary claim. Freshly arrived in Singapore in 2007 with the hope to make a decent living in order to provide for his family
Martin* was on his second day at his new job. He was employed as a construction worker, but he had let his boss know that he held a Singapore driving licence. His boss asked him to drive a lorry. Martin hit another car; the lorry suffered scratches. Thankfully, no one was injured. Some days later,
There has been a gradual liberalisation over the last few years allowing construction workers to transfer to new jobs. This paper takes stock of evolving government policy in this area. Transient Workers Count Too has argued for a long time that retaining workers with experience in Singapore will be good for our much-hoped-for improvement in productivity.
By Nicholas Lee, based on an interview in October 2017 The promise of a higher salary and a better life -- this is the main reason why most foreign workers leave their families and the familiarity of their home come to Singapore to work. But what if after taking on debts to pay agent fees
One of the more encouraging things that Transient Workers Count Too has noticed in the past few years is that now, nearly all victims of unpaid salary are given a chance by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to look for new jobs in Singapore without first having to return home. The significance of the above may be
By Alston Ng, based on an interview in December 2017 Pressing against the table and straining to be heard, Majumder Dilip Kumar (above left) recounts how he came to live off the goodwill of friends for the past two months. A note of morose resignation is unmistakable; he does not see the proverbial light at
By Alex, based on an interview in November 2017 "Why are you still in Singapore?" I ask Sarkar Debabrata. He is showing me a Special Pass dated 19 January 2017 -- ten months old -- which allows him to remain in Singapore until his case at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is concluded. Yet, in his
Arriving in our mailbox earlier this week was a new booklet published by the Ministry of Manpower, titled '6 Simple Steps to comply with Employment Laws'. This is indeed a good initiative; from here on, employers will have fewer excuses not to do things in accordance with the law. The six 'simple steps' featured in
By Isaac Ong, based on an interview in November 2017 "This is my wrong but I don't want pay [you] money. Even if I go jail, [even if] I no company, but I still don't want pay money", Rafa (not his real name) was told by his boss. 49-year-old Rafa is practically a veteran of
By Liang Lei, based on an interview in October 2017 Running into unexpected trouble overseas is often inconvenient and frustrating – even seasoned travellers among us would readily testify to this. Language barriers, differences in culture and unfamiliarity with foreign administration often confuse us and increase the chances of making mistakes. It must be incomparably
