MWC celebrates International Migrants' Day with 12,000 migrant workers
15 December 2009
Media Release
Four dormitory operators collaborated with MWC for the first time to show their appreciation to migrant workers
1 18 December 2009 is International Migrants’ Day. The Migrant Workers Centre (MWC), a bipartite initiative between the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), is celebrating this special day together with about 12,000 migrant workers with a series of events from 13 to 18 December 2009. For the first time, the MWC is also collaborating with four major dormitory operators to host a series of appreciation dinners for about 2,000 migrant workers at their dormitories.
2 This year’s International Migrants’ Day celebration by MWC surrounds the theme of harmony and integration. With almost 36% of our total workforce made up of migrant workers, it is of utmost importance that we help the migrant workers integrate into our society as they are a major contributor to Singapore’s economic development.
3 On 13 December 2009, 10,000 migrant workers and 5,000 locals took part in a fun-filled carnival and were treated to free entry to Wild Wild Wet at Downtown East organised by MWC. The activities not only helped the migrant workers better understand the Singapore’s culture, it was also an opportunity for Singaporeans to interact closely with the foreigners in a relaxed and social setting.
4 For the first time, four major dormitory operators, Avery Strategic Investments Pte Ltd, JYC-NCL Pte Ltd, Mini Environment Service Pte Ltd and Vobis Enterprise Pte Ltd, will be hosting four separate appreciation dinners for about 2,000 migrant workers at their respective dormitories and the SCAL Recreation Centre. The dinners were held from 14 to 18 December 2009 to recognise the contributions of the migrant workers (Please refer to Annex A for details). The migrant workers were treated to a sumptuous 9-course sit-down dinner together with their employers and special guests. Five lucky winners also walked away with lucky draws worth a total of $1,500 at each of the dinner.
5. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Co-Chairman of Migrant Workers Centre, was the Guest-of-Honour gracing one of the appreciation dinners on 15 December 2009 at Simpang Lodge in Yishun for 500 workers. Mr Yeo said, “I am very pleased that we can collaborate with the dormitory operators to show our appreciation to the migrant workers this year. The dormitories are just like a second home for the migrant workers who are here. I am pleased to note that the dormitories run by these dormitory operators exceed the minimum standard of living. The workers feel happy living in these dormitories as they can look forward to return to a clean, safe and conducive home environment that allows them to rest and recharged after a day of hard work.”
6. Mr David Tow, Manager (Operations) of Vobis Enterprise Pte Ltd said, "We are very happy to have the opportunity to work with MWC to recognise the contributions of migrant workers here and to raise the awareness level on the International Migrants' Day. As one of the main dormitory operators, we hope to collaborate further with MWC in the future so that we can do more for the benefits of all migrant workers here."
7. The MWC is also planning a series of events in 2010 to reach out to the migrant workers to upgrade their skills as well as to help them integrate more easily into the Singapore’s society. With the early success of the Basic Conversational English (BCE) course that MWC rolled out together with NTUC LearningHub, MWC aims to work with the respective employers to send up to 1,000 migrant workers to attend the BCE course next year. MWC will also reach out to about 20,000 migrant workers through a series of large and small-scale activities. In addition, it will work on promoting good employment practices among employers and employment agencies dealing with migrant workers.
