Stuck in Limbo

Injured at the worksite, given no MC, employer refuses to pay for medical treatment, beat up by hired gangsters and forcefully repatriated. Unfortunately this is a common story we hear time and time again from migrant workers. Uddin (name changed) is a 27 year-old Bangladeshi construction worker who has worked in Singapore for […]

Mr. Wang’s Story

28 September 2015. It was raining heavily that day, recalled Mr. Wang, as he reported to his workplace, a construction site in Punggol. It happened very quickly: an unsupported ladder perched on the wet, slippery floor fell onto Mr. Wang, leaving him unconscious. Waking up each day has been a nightmare for Mr. […]

Touched by the Newfound Care

“I am just very thankful to HealthServe and Mr. Chua, as they have helped me a lot since I started coming here after my injury. The people at my workplace did not care much about me, but HealthServe has helped to drive me to the hospital for my surgery and back to Tai […]

Zhang’s Story

I am a construction worker. Singapore was my dream place to work because in my mind the work here would be safer and more respecting of human rights. But under the leadership of a Chinese boss, all changed to become unreasonable and harsh. On July 7, 2015, my life changed.

Wei’s Story

A TRANSFORMED LIFE I came to Singapore with hopes of paying off my debts. I worked hard for 2 months and unfortunately suffered from a work injury. I was hospitalized for 30 days as I injured my head and legs, even my hearing and vision were affected. I was unable to get my […]

Yuan’s Story

Zhu Fu Lin’s Story

More Than Broken Bones

At HealthServe’s Geylang office, it is a common sight to see men, primarily construction workers, on crutches, awkwardly navigating their way through our cramped office. We see arms in slings, fingers deformed, scars that tattoo the skin long after stitches have been removed. There are also many ‘invisible’ injuries – necks, shoulders, legs […]

Going Home Empty-Handed

Sometime in August this year, Liu, a Chinese worker, walked into HealthServe looking lost and perplexed. He had just come from his first conciliation session at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) during which his employer’s representative fished out a document written in English which claimed his pay to be $4.50 per hour. A […]

When a Company Folds, Who Suffers?

In August, a group of workers from Yong Yi Lin Construction (2000) Pte Ltd had a dispute with their employer over delayed remuneration and went to MOM to seek recourse. To their horror, they discovered that their work permits had actually been cancelled a month earlier and so they had been working “illegally” […]

Burn Victim’s Road to Recovery

The night before Chun Ming left for China, he packed only one set of clothes. The rest of his luggage was filled with music books, muffin trays, filters and coffee powder. In 2011, the 19-year-old from Henan province, China came to Singapore to work as a kitchen helper in a restaurant in Little […]