As part of the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) month-long May Day celebrations to recognise and appreciate the contributions of all workers in Singapore, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) took its turn to show gratitude and solidarity with all migrant workers with a day-long May Day celebration surrounding the Labour Movement’s May Day theme of Care, Fair and Grow. Key features of the event included an Appreciation Dinner for 3,000 migrant workers and the official launch of the event venue, the Terusan Recreation Centre (TRC).
Caring for Our Migrant Workers
One of the main highlights of this year’s MWC commemoration was the May Day Migrant Workers’ Appreciation Dinner, where some 100 local volunteers, the majority of which were students and youth, served dinner bento sets to our migrant worker friends and interacted with them over dinner. The MWC collaborated with The Hesed Table (the corporate social responsibility arm of Hesed & Emet Holdings, the parent company of local caterer, Elsie’s Kitchen) and 45Rice (a social enterprise promoting fortified rice as a healthier migrant worker staple) to provide 3,000 sumptuous bento sets for the Appreciation Dinner; which from the reactions of the workers, was a much appreciated gesture.
The social interaction over dinner is symbolic of the increasing openness and acceptance towards migrant workers within our community. The many ‘helping hands approach’ to holding the Dinner, involving the MWC, social initiative partners and local volunteers, particularly the youth, is reflective of the increasing involvement and interest in the migrant workers’ welfare among Singaporeans. During the Appreciation Dinner, some 750 hand-made ‘Thank You’ cards by local primary and secondary students were handed out to the migrant workers. This was given out personally by the local guests comprising employers, unions leaders and government officials as their way of expressing Singaporeans’ heartfelt appreciation for the personal sacrifices and contributions made by the migrant workers. Guest-of-Honour, Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Manpower, accompanied by Mr Edwin Lye, Vice President of NTUC, Mr Tan Hock Soon, Vice President of NTUC, and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Chairman of the MWC, were joined by more than sixty other invited guests from the tripartite partners and the social and voluntary organisations to help serve the meals to the migrant workers, before joining in the picnic-style dinner, interaction and bonding session.
Aligned with the MWC’s advocacy for greater accessibility and choice when it comes to recreational and social options for migrant workers, the TRC was officially launched by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Teo Ser Luck later in the evening. Located at Jalan Papan, TRC shows the authorities’ commitment to continually expand the array of social and recreational amenities as well as services at areas where workers reside. In a continuing partnership with the MWC, the TRC will house MWC’s fifth recreation centre satellite help-kiosk by the end of July 2016. This will enable MWC to regularly provide their direct services to the migrant workers residing in that area. The MWC is also planning to provide monthly counselling services to the workers at the TRC through the Forward Response, Engagement and Intel Deployment Asset (FREIDA), MWC’s mobile office, starting from end of May this year.
Mr Teo said, “Together with our local workforce, our migrant workers have also contributed to Singapore’s development in their various jobs and capacities. They too deserve our appreciation for their contributions and hard work. This celebration, together with the opening of Terusan Recreation Centre, signals the joint commitment with our partners to ensure that our migrant workers have the time and space to relax and socialise. The development of new recreation centres will also contribute to better well-being and help new migrant workers better adjust to their new environment.”
Ensuring that Workplace Practices are Fair for All
The MWC has long been an advocate for greater fairness and transparency in employment for migrant workers. Its efforts contributed to the recent amendments to the Employment Act, which requires the employers to provide itemised salary pay-slip and key employment terms to their employees starting 1 April 2016. Through its case data and interactions with the migrant workers, the MWC noted that not all employers were fully in compliance with the new requirements yet.
Chairman of the MWC, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang said, “The provision of itemised pay-slips and key employment terms in writing protects both the employers and the workers. These rules had come after an extended grace period to allow employers time to put in place the systems and processes needed to implement these requirements. For those employers who still face difficulty in implementation, we hope that they will come forward to seek assistance from the tripartite partners. We will do our best to render help and assistance to them.”
Growing Together – At the Workplace and Beyond
The MWC has continuously pushed for greater social integration and cohesion between locals and migrant workers at workplaces and in living spaces. Mr Yeo shared that the MWC has witnessed a marked increase in public concern for migrant workers over the recent years and that this bodes well for the future of our workforce and community. He said that the Centre will continue to partner with like-minded organisations to foster greater acceptance and understanding for migrant workers and ensure that they receive fair treatment.
Mr Yeo reiterated, “The MWC is keen to partner like-minded organisations, individuals and initiatives to further the welfare and integration of migrant workers into our community. We hope to strengthen the mutual understanding between the locals and migrants, and create a harmonious environment for mutual coexistence. We’ve all seen how no community is completely immune to external political and security threats. Our integration efforts must stem from our belief that a strong and united social compact, where there is mutual respect and fairness for everyone, is one of the best ways to give everyone a stake in protecting the peace and security we all value here.”
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