Model ID: 56e7e4d6-c97d-4b63-b1ea-49050c4fc06f
Sitecore Context Id: 56e7e4d6-c97d-4b63-b1ea-49050c4fc06f;
~ Slew of activities organised by the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) to support migrant workers’ mental and physical wellbeing ~
~ NTUC and MWC to pilot online bite-sized courses on workplace safety in a bid to uphold higher workplace safety and health standards among migrant workers ~
As part of the May Day events organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to showcase the spirit of every worker matters in Singapore, NTUC and the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) has planned a series of activities to thank migrant workers for their hard work throughout the pandemic. The MWC has worked with various partners to organise educational and recreational activities for migrant workers throughout April and May, with the main event held on 29 May, Sunday at the MWC Recreation Club at 51 Soon Lee Road (RC). The event was graced by NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong and saw over 6,000 migrant workers in attendance.
Caring for our migrant workers through educational and recreational activities
To celebrate the gradual transition back to pre-COVID times, kicking off the May Day celebration was a photo contest organised for migrant workers to share photos of their favourite moments in Singapore. The top three winners of the contest walked away with NTUC FairPrice vouchers, which was presented to them during the unveiling of the winning entries at the RC on 29 May. MWC also collaborated with student volunteers to organise various educational and recreational activities to bond with migrant workers, including packing more than 3,000 care packs consisting of items such as toiletries and dry rations, to be delivered with the help of over 100 NTUC U SME partners. For details of the engagement activities, please refer to the Annex.
To help migrant workers unwind from stress at work and recharge their mind and body, MWC organised a cricket competition in partnership with NTUC U SME. A total of 16 teams signed up, with the grand winners presented with NTUC FairPrice vouchers, trophies and medals. Not forgetting the other work and lifestyle needs of migrant workers, MWC set up booths for partners including the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC), Essilor Vision Foundation, Singtel and DBS/POSB for migrant workers to access essential services conveniently as well as the Singapore Police Force (SPF) to educate migrant workers on protecting themselves against common scam tactics.
The celebrations will culminate in a virtual show to be held on 29 May 2022, Sunday, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Over 50,000 migrant workers are expected to tune in to the virtual show, where they can expect to see livestreamed performances by popular Indian celebrity Sasikumar and win prizes from lucky draws. The virtual show will be streamed on MWC’s Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/mwcsg
Protecting our migrant workers by ensuring that they have a safe workplace
MWC champions for the rights and interests of migrant workers and has been actively ensuring that migrant workers get necessary support while working in Singapore. This ranges from introducing an Associate Membership programme to better serve the work and lifestyle needs of migrant workers, to regular programmes to educate them on important topics such as workplace safety and awareness on scams targeted at migrant workers. The MWC has been partnering with authorities like the SPF to hold workshops to educate migrant workers on common scam tactics, how to identify scams and how to seek help should they suspect that they have become victims of scams.
Following a recent spate of workplace fatalities which led to a nationwide call for companies to implement a Safety Time-out (STO) to review existing WSH guidelines, MWC has been in engagement with the WSHC to identify better ways to help migrant workers stay familiar with the latest WSH guidelines. MWC is working with NTUC LearningHub to explore online, bite-sized learning courses related to workplace safety for migrant workers to learn and refresh their knowledge at their own pace during their free time. Currently, all migrant workers are required to obtain a safety certification either upon arrival or when they renew their work passes. MWC hopes to offer this online training to interested unionised companies and tripartite partners to trial its efficacy before further engaging with other stakeholders. More details will be announced at a later date.
Expressing the intent behind the bite-sized online learning courses, Melvin Yong, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General said, “Accidents at the workplace can be avoided if there is adequate knowledge and awareness of workplace safety and health measures. In serious cases, precious lives could be lost. At NTUC, every worker matters and that includes our migrant workers. It is our collective responsibility to make sure that our migrant workers are able to work in an environment that is safe and help them stay up to date on the latest safety measures to protect themselves. We must do all we can to prevent these accidents from happening at our workplaces.”
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