Case #1
A young male Malaysian worker was hired as a cleaner through an employment agency in Singapore. He signed a contract to work every day except for two days off a month. Half of his salary would be used to pay the cost of the levy to his agency. These conditions worked for him until the employer to whom he was hired did not give him a day off. Worse still, he was owed a month’s salary and even after he had given up the job, his passport was not returned as the employment agency wanted him to pay what it claimed was due to cover the levy. The said worker tried to make appeals to the agency, but upon revisiting the office, he found out they had moved out without informing him. Clueless as to how to deal with the administrative complications here, the worker was unable to return home, nor could he find another job without his passport. Having lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower, the worker was later nabbed by the Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and fined for overstaying. He was also banned from entering the country for a year.
TWC2 responded by writing in to ask that he should not be charged as an illegal worker as he did not have his passport with him through no fault of his own. A TWC2 volunteer also accompanied him to MOM. Though he has left Singapore we are asking that his case be reviewed, as he had filed his complaint with the relevant authorities before he was caught for over-staying. TWC2 is also lobbying for the employer and the agency to be investigated.
TWC2 responded by writing in to ask that he should not be charged as an illegal worker as he did not have his passport with him through no fault of his own. A TWC2 volunteer also accompanied him to MOM. Though he has left Singapore we are asking that his case be reviewed, as he had filed his complaint with the relevant authorities before he was caught for over-staying. TWC2 is also lobbying for the employer and the agency to be investigated.