By Fawwaz Baktee
To help address work-related challenges and issues of domestic employees in Singapore, the Labour Movement launched on 24 January 2016 the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE).
The centre will reach out to domestic employees to provide them with an avenue to seek assistance, advice and relief. It will also complement the efforts of existing non-government organisations to assist domestic employees.
According to the Manpower Ministry, there are about 230,000 foreign domestic employees in Singapore, and this number is expected to increase to 300,000 by 2030.
“With the increasing number of the elderly and women entering the workforce, we believe more will be looking to hire domestic employees,” said CDE Chairman Yeo Guat Kwang.
All-round Approach
Other than having a 24-hour toll free helpline, CDE will provide services that include humanitarian aid, emergency shelter, and free legal clinics in partnership with The Law Society.
Staff of CDE are trained by Silver Ribbon on basic mental wellness to identify domestic employees who show signs of distress.
“CDE will take on a proactive and upstream approach in providing assistance to domestic employees as we want to help resolve their issues and challenges even before they begin to trouble them,” said Mr Yeo.
Mr Yeo, who also chairs the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC), said CDE will take an all stake-holder approach in engaging domestic employees, employers or agencies on related issues.
The centre will also seek to promote good employer-employee working relationships, good employment practices and social integration through various workshops and social functions.
A Need to Be Inclusive
NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing, who graced the launch as guest-of-honour, said CDE reflects the Labour Movement’s continuous efforts to widen its reach to different groups of workers.
“This is part of our longer-term effort toward becoming an all-inclusive Labour Movement. With CDE, we also hope that more support can be rendered to our domestic employees so they can work in a safe and healthy environment,” he added.
Source: NTUC This Week
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- Click here for the press release
