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An annual affair to recognise and appreciate domestic employees for their contributions to Singapore, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) are presenting the May Day Domestic Employees Celebration on 22 May 2022, Sunday. The virtual show, featuring the highly anticipated U Dazzle! talent contest, will be livestreamed on CDE website from 2pm to 5pm.
Although COVID-19 measures have relaxed, the celebration will continue to take on a virtual format to enable more domestic employees to join in the fun and offer them an afternoon of respite and entertainment. This year, the celebration is especially meaningful as NTUC and CDE honour the hard work invested by our domestic employees over the pandemic. As Singapore enters endemic living with COVID-19, NTUC and CDE continue to urge employers and the local community to show care towards domestic employees.
Virtual Celebration and Talent Show
The virtual celebration will kick-off with a message from the Guest of Honour, Minister of State (MOS) for Manpower Ms Gan Siow Huang. Touching on how employers and the local community have a part to play in supporting and caring for domestic employees, MOS Gan also highlighted that the Ministry of Manpower will introduce a mandatory rest day policy later this year, providing domestic workers with a minimum of one rest day a month to enable workers to rest and recharge. This was announced last year by the ministry.
Beyond the U Dazzle! talent contest to showcase the multi talents of domestic employees, NTUC and CDE also encouraged employers to submit a short note and photos of themselves with their domestic employees. By having employers to cheer on their domestic employees, NTUC and CDE aim to encourage more employers and domestic employees to support each other, communicate more openly and ultimately foster a harmonious employment relationship.
Appreciating Domestic Employees and Supporting Them with Harmonious Employer-Employee Relationship
Over 60 domestic employees signed up to record their performances, and one pair stood out. 18-year-old Jayne Peh enthusiastically accompanied her helper, Graziel Bheth Timtim, 38, to the recording. Jayne shared, “Aunty Graziel taught me how to play the guitar! And I’m here today because Aunty wants to be here.” Graziel has been caring for Jayne’s family for nearly a decade since first arriving in Singapore in 2012. Graziel went home to the Philippines in 2017 for two years before returning in 2019, “My husband was adamant that if I were to go back to work in Singapore, it had to be with the Peh’s, otherwise he wanted me to stay at home.” Her employer, Mrs Lily Peh, 49, also had high praises for Graziel, “She knows everyone of us in the family inside out, and this relationship that we have is truly God’s gift to our family and to Graziel.”
Applauding the duo, NTUC Central Committee members Raymond Chin, General Secretary of Union of Security Employees (USE) and Sazali Zainal, General Secretary of the ST Engineering Staff Union (STESU) also appreciated and encouraged domestic employees in their pre-recorded messages. Both are Co-Chairpersons for this year’s NTUC May Day Domestic Employees Celebration 2022 Committee.
Mr Raymond Chin shared, “Graziel’s relationship with the Peh family is one that NTUC and CDE encourage both employers and domestic employees to adopt. It is heartening to hear stories about employers celebrating birthdays and milestone events with their domestic employees because it is not easy for our migrant sisters to leave their homes and travel to a foreign country to care for a stranger’s family. By organising such events, we hope that our domestic employees will know that CDE and NTUC can give them the necessary support if they need someone to talk to.”
Mr Sazali Zainal added on, “It has been over two years since most of our domestic employees last visited their loved ones back home. It is challenging for them to continue working in Singapore while worrying about their families back home. When we reached out to employers to submit messages to cheer their employees on for the U Dazzle! talent show, we received enthusiastic feedback! The heart-warming response has given me much hope that employers will let their helpers take leave to return home for an overdue visit.”
