Type of issue: skills training and costs
15
09, 2020
Fickle fortunes
Nahid's first job turned out relatively well, but he hadn't gone home to see his family in five years. So he resigned and, soon after, had to look for another job.
15
08, 2020
Post-Covid, hopes and disputes emerge from deep freeze
How four workers have been affected by the suspension of many actvities during the Covid-19 lockdown from early April to early June 2020.
30
07, 2020
Unconnected aspirations: Training, productivity and career advancement
Our intern explores the thorny question of upskilling. Do employers see benefit in that? Are benefits shared equitably between employers and employees?
10
07, 2020
Sudeb climbs the ladder of life
Sudeb recounts the many jobs he's had -- most ending in disappointment. He's been laid off, deceived, cheated of wages and now, injured. But he has fortitude.
15
03, 2020
If even educated people from source countries know so little about Singapore, how can they be training workers for us?
At a conference session on upskilling, TWC2 saw the enormity of the challenge for Singapore as we try to raise productivity among migrant workers and fill our future care-giving needs.
5
03, 2019
Why we didn’t help one worker
While we try to help every foreign worker who comes to TWC2 with a problem, our volunteers are realistic enough to know that some workers are not blameless. In such a situation, we modulate the help that we extend. About a month ago, a guy -- let's call him Sham (not his real name)
18
12, 2018
From overcharging to plain flouting of the law — Ratan’s story
By Katia Barthelemy, based on an interview in August 2018 Each migrant worker’s story is unique. Yet, in all the stories we hear at TWC2, we can detect injustice, lack of respect, abuse, illegal treatment or a combination of them. Miah Mohammad Ratan, like most migrant workers in Singapore, started his journey out of Bangladesh
18
09, 2018
Hired as scaffolder, safety-trained as painter, made to work as grinder
By Koh Jie Min, based on an interview in June 2018 Balal comes across as soft spoken when I meet him for this interview. He gives me a wry smile as he points to two long, white scars on his fingers, and recounts his tale. It’s a not unheard-of story: Leaving his wife and two
14
04, 2018
Neither here nor there: ‘Supply worker’ predicaments
By Sun Hanchen, based on an interview in November 2017 When most of us apply for a job, we have expectations that the job scope will be related to our field of education or training, and that we will have some knowledge of the people whom we will be working with. It goes beyond expectations
6
04, 2018
Hossain Sabuj tells us who got rich from his working in Singapore
By Tristan Powell-Odden, based on an interview in January 2018 Hossain Sabuj, like many other migrant workers, had a dream: To open a clothing store that re-sold American brands in Bangladesh, his home country. To raise the needed capital, he would work for a few years overseas. However, because of the exorbitant amounts of money