miyagi.sg

Help The Workers Who Help Build Our Country

It is a tragic day today with two workers dead and several others injured in a scaffolding collapse at an MRT station construction site. It is also a time to spare a thought for the thousands of migrant workers who do these tough, low-paying and sometimes dangerous jobs building our country’s infrastructure.

For as long as Singapore has been around, we’ve been dependent on migrant workers – We founded this country on Indian coolies working on the docks and the Samsui women on our roads and buildings in the 19th to 20th Centuries.

And before K-Pop and Korean movie stars, we imported Korean construction workers, who together with their Thai counterparts, built Raffles City, Marina Square and every other major construction project in the 1980s.

We owe a debt to them because they are doing our national service.

This afternoon some of my friends and I scrambled to arrange for a donation channel for the families of this morning’s accident victims. We spoke to MCYS, MOM and the LTA to see how we could coordinate it so that the public who wish to help out can do so. Then we found that the people already helping migrant/transient workers were most ready, willing and able to help.

The organization is called “Transient Workers Count Too“, and they have offered to take in donations for the victims. The money you donate will go towards the families of the two dead workers, and towards the injured workers while they are unable to work as they recover.

This is how you can donate:

BY CHEQUE:

Make a crossed cheque payable to: ‘Transient Workers Count Too’, write your name and “Bugis MRT Accident” at the back of the cheque and mail it to: 5001 Beach Road, #06-27 Golden Mile Complex, Singapore 199588.
Send an email to info@twc2.org.sg with your name, cheque no., amount and “Bugis MRT Accident”, so that the donation can be properly recorded and a receipt sent to you.

BY SGGIVES (ONLINE)

You can donate using your credit card here. A small commission is charged by this donation collection agency. Under the “Special Occasion / Person” field, type “Bugis MRT Accident”.

BY PAYPAL (ONLINE)

You can use your paypal account or credit card to donate here. However, a commission of 4% or so is charged on every donation. There is no field for you to input the purpose of donation, so it is advisable to drop twc2 an email after you’ve donated by this method.

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14 responses to “Help The Workers Who Help Build Our Country”

  1. Makedonosweat Avatar
    Makedonosweat

    You are dead right. Our present day prosperity is founded on the backs of foreign migrant labour, past and present. We owe it to them, to keep them safe. I feel so sad for their families, it is truly tragic, to receive your loved one encased in concrete, in a box. The nightmare of all parents and spouses, siblings and and children. Many thanks for your commentary, reminding us to be grateful and appreciative.

    Reply
  2. Treasurer TWC2 Avatar
    Treasurer TWC2

    I
    just wish to add a detail about commissions.
    Neither TWC2 nor the bloggers launching this donation drive will take
    any commission (I believe that was made clear above). Thus, donation by
    Singapore dollar cheques will attract zero commission.

    Donations through SgGIves will involve a 3.0% commission levied by SgGives. This is outside our control.

    Donations by Paypal are possible but not recommended. This is because
    the commission rate levied by Paypal is very high for small amounts.
    For example, a $10 donation attracts an 8.4% commission rate. However, a
    $100 donation attracts a 4.4% donation rate, while one around $500 will
    be approx 3.5%. Paypal uses a complicated sliding scale.

    TWC2 is a registered charity with externally audited accounts. We
    will also be sending the bloggers initiating this exercise a full report
    on how the funds are disbursed at the end of the exercise.

    Alex Au, Treasurer, TWC2.

    Reply
  3. Electricflyer Avatar
    Electricflyer

    No.. I don’t trust anybody from China.. After all , they enjoy discriminating us so why bother donating to them. By donating to them , it ‘s like saying you respect the Bully.

    Reply
    1. Mr Miyagi Avatar
      Mr Miyagi

      How have they discriminated against you in particular? How have you been bullied by them as a group?

      Reply
      1. Electricflyer Avatar
        Electricflyer

        Yes.. I did.. To be fair to you.. I had many unpleasant experiences..

        Reply
        1. Mr Miyagi Avatar
          Mr Miyagi

          With all due respect, kindly elucidate.

          Reply
    2. yuene Avatar
      yuene

      So what if they ‘enjoy discriminating us’? So you have to stoop to their level, is that what you’re saying?
      Sheesh.

      By the way, you can’t ‘discriminate a person’, you can ‘discriminate against a person’. Which is, might I point out, exactly what you’re doing with your little sweeping statement about them apparently enjoying it. Not much better than the bully now, are we?

      Reply
  4. Mr AXN Avatar
    Mr AXN

    after all they will be compensated. If they are still not satisfied with the compensation amount, they will get lawyer to sue. No point donating to them.

    Reply
    1. Grey Worm Avatar
      Grey Worm

      Were you dropped on the head as a child? Do you think they can afford a lawyer? What kind of world do you live in?!

      Reply
  5. Mr AXN Avatar
    Mr AXN

    You only make them richer. Donation + Compensation = $1million
    Donation = getting the money to engage lawyer to demand more compensation
    its stupid to donate.

    Reply
    1. Mr Miyagi Avatar
      Mr Miyagi

      So you’re saying it’s an unjust enrichment of the injured and the dead workers’ families? Also, how did you arrive at $1M?

      Reply
  6. Mr Miyagi Avatar
    Mr Miyagi

    Thanks Mithun. There are many more people like us who haven’t spoken up. So all is not lost.

    Reply
  7. Slayer Avatar
    Slayer

    Why don’t you start a donation drive for the family of the taxi driver murdered by the Ferrari driving chinese alien instead? His wife and children needs the financial support to carry on with life HERE.

    Reply
    1. Mr Miyagi Avatar
      Mr Miyagi

      I think someone else started it already. Did you donate?

      Reply

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