By Kay del Rosario
This year’s NTUC May Day Migrant Workers Celebration was held virtually on 23 May 2021, in view of Singapore’s current COVID-19 Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures.
Organised by the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) to show appreciation for and uplift the spirits of our migrant workers, the virtual show comprised both live and pre-recorded song and dance items by celebrities from India and Bangladesh, as well as artists from China, Myanmar and fellow migrant workers in Singapore.
Some 50,000 workers caught the livestreamed event through the MWC Facebook page, and NTUC President Mary Liew and Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng joined them in the celebrations online.
Guest-of-Honour Manpower Minister Tan See Leng delivered the keynote address. He highlighted the importance of taking care of migrant workers’ mental well-being and how we must continue to protect the health and safety of migrant workers during this time.
“As the pandemic continues to evolve with new variants emerging, our South Asian neighbours are facing a rise in the number of infections. I am sure many of our migrant workers, many of whom are from India and Bangladesh, would be concerned and worried about the well-being of their loved ones back home.
“We have activated NGOs such as HealthServe and MWC to attend to the counselling needs of many of our migrant workers,” he said.
NTUC and MWC have also prepared care packs to be distributed to some 20,000 migrant workers once it is safe to do so.
These care packs contain NTUC60 “#EveryWorkerMatters” t-shirts, face masks, lanyards, towels, hand sanitisers, Vitamin D tablets as well as key essential items including shampoo, soap, disposable shaver, toothbrush and toothpaste.
NTUC Central Committee Member and General Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) Tan Richard also shared a pre-recorded message to thank our migrant workers for their contributions to Singapore.
“Despite challenging circumstances, you continued to put in your all at work. You also stayed calm and made sacrifices to live strong.
“Some of you even stepped up to help Singaporeans and also, your fellow countrymen. We deeply appreciate all that you’ve done for Singapore, and we are inspired by your adaptability and resilience,” said Mr Tan.
The virtual show was filled with performances, songs, dances, messages and even a lucky draw segment.
But in his closing message, MWC Executive Director Bernard Menon said that if there was one thing he hoped our migrant workers would take away from the programme, it would be the 24-Hour distress line 6536 2692 for them to call.
“Whatever the situation, the helpline is available to you 24-hours a day, and it's available to you in your native language, which means when you call for whatever issue ... you can tell us in Bengali, in Tamil, in Mandarin, whatever your native tongue is.
“And my promise to you is that we will help you no matter what the problem is,” he said.
