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~ Celebrations back in full swing to appreciate migrant workers’ contributions; with reminders to stay safe during this festive season ~
To celebrate International Migrants Day (IMD) that falls on 18 December yearly and mark the return to a fully physical celebration after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) is organising a slew of activities for migrant workers at the MWC Recreation Club (MWC RC). Migrant workers can look forward to a fun-filled day at the MWC RC on 18 December 2022, Sunday, including sports events; a concert with song and dance performances; takeaway of goodie bags; and an award ceremony to thank migrant workers who have been actively engaging fellow migrant workers. Gracing the celebrations as the Guest-of-Honour (GOH), NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan will also be participating in a friendly sports match with some of the migrant workers. Additionally, MWC will organise another concert for migrant workers on 26 December to celebrate the year-end festive season.
MWC’s IMD celebrations back in full swing to spread festive cheer and thank migrant workers for their contributions
For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, MWC’s IMD celebrations will be back on a full scale. On 18 December, migrant workers will be treated to various sports activities such as street soccer, volleyball, and badminton to help them unwind after a week of work and stay active while having fun with friends. Migrant workers can also check out booths set up by MWC’s partners, including POSB, the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Singapore Red Cross Society, Singtel and the Western Union for other daily needs. The first 2,000 migrant workers who visit the MWC RC can collect a goodie bag containing items such as toiletries, dry rations, and food court and supermarket vouchers worth $10.
As part of the celebrations, MWC is giving out the Awards of Commendation to 28 MWC Grassroots Ambassadors to thank them for their active participation in the events organised by MWC and going the extra mile to engage other migrant workers. The awards will be presented by the GOH DSG Desmond Tan to the ambassadors. Profiles of selected awardees can be found in the Annex.
MWC continues to champion migrant workers’ interests, with a reminder to them to stay safe and healthy during the festive season
MWC has been an active advocate of migrant workers’ interests even before the pandemic, championing for their rights, and taking care of their welfare and needs at their work and living environment. As Singapore recovers from the pandemic, MWC will focus efforts on ensuring that migrant workers will continue to be taken care of:
a. Enhancing protection for migrant workers via the MWC Associate Membership
MWC announced the roll out of the MWC Associate Membership last year, which will offer specially tailored discounts and benefits to serve the needs and lifestyles of migrant workers. Some of the key benefits include a group insurance plan offered by NTUC Income which protects migrant workers against critical illnesses, death, and non-work-related accidents, as well as cost savings when they spend on goods and services such as mobile services, training and upgrading course. The fully digital membership, officially launched last month, allows migrant workers to sign up via a URL to become a member immediately.
b. Ensuring migrant workers are safe at the workplace
To ensure that migrant workers stay safe at the workplace, MWC has been working with the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) to conduct outreach activities and help migrant workers stay familiar with the latest WSH guidelines. In light of the spate of workplace accidents this year, MWC has also been actively stepping in to aid migrant workers involved in both fatal and non-fatal workplace accidents.
c. Educating migrant workers about scams
Scams are a growing concern among migrant workers as they lost close to $25 million to scams last year, with the most common scams involving job scams or love scams. In collaboration with the Singapore Police Force, MWC, together with its Grassroots Ambassadors, has been engaging workers at the Little India and Rochor areas to educate them on identifying scams and navigating online platforms safely.
GOH DSG Desmond Tan said, “Migrant workers who come to Singapore to earn a better living for themselves and loved ones back home, are often vulnerable to their new environment due to language or cultural barriers. It is our responsibility to take care of their welfare and needs based on the ground feedback gathered from these migrant workers. We urge companies that employ migrant workers to work with NTUC and MWC to strengthen efforts in bettering the welfare of migrant workers, so they can continue to have a safe environment to work and live in, earn their wages and support their loved ones back home.”
As migrant workers celebrate IMD and bask in atmosphere of the year-end festivities, MWC also reminds migrant workers to keep themselves safe and well by staying alert against potentially unsafe situations at the workplace as well as be vigilant against scams. MWC Executive Director Bernard Menon added, “It is an exciting time as this is the first year that International Migrants Day celebrations have resumed to a full scale after two years of muted celebrations. We hope that the activities can bring comfort and joy to migrant workers as many of them had not been able to return home in the last few years. We are also heartened that the pandemic has brought out a spirit of volunteerism among the migrant workers, with many of them stepping forward to lend a helping hand to other migrant workers in need and initiating ground-up efforts to support the migrant worker community.”
The celebrations at the MWC RC will culminate in a concert featuring popular artistes from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Philippines, who will put up a series of song and dance performances for the migrant workers. The festive cheer will carry on with a second concert that will take place on 26 December at the Tuas View Dormitory. Both concerts will also be livestreamed on MWC’s Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/mwcsg/). The celebratory activities across the two days are expected to engage a total of 18,000 migrant workers on site, and 100,000 online viewers for the concerts. More details of the activities can be found in the Annex.
