First-time creative celebration for International Migrant’s Day featuring:
1 In celebration of International Migrant’s Day, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC), a bipartite initiative of the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), held its third MWC International Migrant’s Day (IMD) celebration on 20 December 2011 at NTUC Centre in One Marina Boulevard.
2 As evidenced by the growth in migrant workers to more than a million, accounting for a third of our total workforce, it is clear that our country is reliant on foreign labour. As this group has become a major contributor to Singapore’s economic development, it is fundamental that we help migrant workers integrate into our society.
3 Rounding off a series of year-long activities promoting social integration and harmonious coexistence, MWC’s IMD celebration 2011 marked the festive occasion through a creative celebration featuring a musical and a photo exhibition.
4 Aimed at generating greater awareness amongst the Singaporean public of migrant workers @ Work, Live and Play, the event served to give Singaporeans an insight into the lives of migrant workers here. MWC hopes to promote greater understanding and acceptance of the migrant workers in our midst, as well as enhance the integration and harmonious co-existence between migrants and locals at the workplace and in the community.
5 Some 80 guests, comprising representatives from government, the Labour Movement, industry-related Non-Governmental Organisations as well as migrant workers, were present at the event.
Home away from Home
6 Performed by The Voice Productions, a theatrical group in Singapore, “Home Away from Home” was loosely based on the life of a victim of the brutal robbery near Kallang MRT station over a year ago. The Indian migrant worker has since been cared for by MWC. The 15-minute musical brought the audience through the worker’s journey of struggles and triumphs, and showcased his will to build a better life for his family back home.
Embracing Differences
7 In line with MWC’s overarching theme for this year, Embracing Differences, the photo exhibition displayed 30 photographs of migrant workers @ Work, Live and Play. The images were captured by the Labour Movement youth wing’s photography group, Team Young NTUC 20/20, a professional group born from young, union activists. The three-day exhibition was launched through the piecing-together of a photo jigsaw puzzle depicting migrant workers of different nationalities by special guests, Guest-of-Honour Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin, Co-chairman of the Migrant Workers’ Forum Kenneth Loo, Chairman of Young NTUC Benjamin Tang, as well two migrant workers under MWC’s care. The exhibition is open to the public until 23 December.
8 MWF co-chairman Kenneth Loo who also represents SNEF on the bipartite forum said: "Migrant workers come to Singapore with different cultures and social norms. MWC's role in bridging these gaps helps them integrate into our local society and workplaces, and creates a more harmonious environment which can translate into higher productivity and growth for businesses.”
9 MWC executive director Edwin Pang said: “MWC’s past efforts to promote relations between migrant workers and Singaporeans, such as June’s series of roadshows and exhibitions in a foreign worker recreation centre and three dormitories, have tended to focus on helping the migrant workers learn more about local customs and social practices. However, for any relationship to work, it takes two hands to clap. As such, we decided to do something different for this year’s IMD by staging a musical and holding a public photo exhibition aimed at enabling Singaporeans to learn more about the migrant workers who are here contributing to our nation’s development even as they work hard to earn a living for their families back home.”
10 Since it began operation in April 2009, the MWC has assisted about 2,700 migrant workers in distress. Of these, over 240 homeless migrant workers were provided with shelter. Other workers were given food or help with regard to their salary arrears, work injury or other employment-related issues. MWC has also facilitated the training of migrant workers, for example in basic conversational English, and reached out to about 80,000 through its integration events and other programmes to educate workers about fair employment practices.
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