Migrant workers, who make up a third of Singapore’s total workforce today, are an important group of workers that the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) takes care of as an inclusive Labour Movement. The Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) has tirelessly championed for fairness in the treatment of migrant workers in our midst as well as their gradual integration into our communities.
As part of its ongoing efforts to extend its operational capabilities and expand its accessibility to migrant workers residing in the outskirts of Singapore, the MWC launched the MWC Help Kiosk Initiative at a Lunar New Year celebration event held at the Penjuru Recreation Centre this evening. These kiosks will complement MWC’s 24-Hour Helpline and its mobile office, FREIDA, to further its reach to the migrant worker community by bringing its services closer to where large numbers of them live and conduct their social and recreational activities. Some of the services offered by the MWC Help Kiosk includes consultations on matters concerning employment, salary or any other workplace issues. The kiosks will provide workers with a safe and conducive space where they can consult MWC’s specialists on any employment concerns or issues without fear or apprehension. The MWC Help Kiosk will also save precious time for migrant workers as they no longer need to travel to the MWC Help Centres located in the city.
A total of 4 MWC Help Kiosks, manned using a hybrid staffing mix of full-time specialists as well as volunteers, will open their doors to migrant workers with immediate effect. The kiosks will operate at all four recreation centres located at Penjuru, Woodlands, Soon Lee and Kaki Bukit. For a start, the kiosks will operate every Wednesday from 7 pm to 9 pm at the four Migrant Workers’ Recreation Centres. The MWC will monitor demand for the kiosk’s services, and increase the frequency of the operations should there be a need.
Besides enhancing its “hardware” to better serve migrant workers, MWC has also collaborated with Silver Ribbon (Singapore) to further nurture the “heartware” and capability of its specialists. In January 2016, MWC’s specialists went through a mental wellness health workshop, conducted by Porsche Poh, co-founder of Silver Ribbon (Singapore). The workshop helped to equip the specialists with the ability to identify migrant workers exhibiting signs and symptoms of mental stress or illnesses arising from their workplace problems. Equipped with this new skill to detect workers who may be vulnerable to psychological or emotional pressures, MWC’s specialists will be able to provide holistic care for the migrant workers and manage their cases. Besides conducting the workshop, Silver Ribbon (Singapore) has also partnered with MWC to set up an escalation protocol through which identified migrant workers can be given access to qualified help from professional counsellors.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, MWC Chairman said, “With an increasing awareness among migrant workers of MWC and our services, it is even more critical for our team to continue to uplift and update our capabilities so that we are always ready to assist. The difference we can make by ourselves is limited, but as we have done from the beginning, we will continue to work through partnerships with like-minded organisations and initiatives with a view to creating ‘a whole that is greater than the sum of its individual parts’ when it comes to safeguarding our migrant workers. Migrant workers have also contributed to building our society today, and we feel strongly that their welfare and well-being must continue to be protected.”
At the launch, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and the MWC team greeted guests with festive wishes while handing out mandarin oranges to 500 migrant workers as all present celebrated the Lunar New Year together.
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