Food, fun and games to celebrate International Migrants Day

From cricket and futsal to kayaking, migrant workers here took part in a myriad of activities to celebrate International Migrants Day yesterday.

Over the past week, dormitory operators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and volunteer groups have been distributing care packs, organising excursions and hosting physical and online activities to mark the occasion.

This culminated in a slew of events being held this weekend.

Despite the spectre of Covid-19 still looming large, the eight migrant worker recreation centres across the island were bustling as workers took part in sports competitions, collected freebies, dug into sponsored meals and enjoyed live performances.

Safety supervisor John Peter, who lives in temporary quarters on a construction site, was all smiles as he met up with friends for the first time in more than a year at the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) recreation centre in Soon Lee Road.

"Today is International Migrants Day. It is my day and I enjoyed it with my friends," said the 30-year-old Indian national.

Mr Tung Yui Fai, chief of the Ministry of Manpower's Assurance, Care and Engagement Group, said the celebrations over the past week took about two months to plan.

"This year, in particular, we made an effort to try to have many activities not just in the recreation centres, but also in the dormitories and in the community," he said.

Earlier in the day, 44 migrant workers from Tampines Dormitory and private residences around Little India and Outram were joined by Tampines Changkat residents as they paddled around Marina Reservoir in kayaks, picking up marine litter in the process.

At The Cage in Turf City, teams from six dormitories operated by Westlite Accommodation duked it out in a charity cricket tournament that also helped to raise funds for migrant worker NGO HealthServe.

In conjunction with yesterday's celebrations, MWC, which is under the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), launched an associate membership scheme. NTUC said the scheme will bring migrant workers even closer to the labour movement and help to close some gaps, such as a lack of critical illness insurance for these workers.

Benefits under the new MWC digital membership will be delivered via a Web app and workers can expect to save more than $400 for each year they are a member.

Migrant workers who sign up will be covered by a group term life and critical illness insurance plan underwritten by NTUC Income.

They can also enjoy discounts for relevant NTUC training courses, telco services from Singtel, employment services from Aptiv8, and general practitioner consultations by Raffles Medical.

Registration for the membership will start in the first quarter of next year and the aim is for 100,000 workers to sign up by end-2022.

MWC said it will first target new workers undergoing their settling-in programme before reaching out to others. It will subsidise more than half the membership fee for the first year so workers will pay only $6. They have to pay $24 a year subsequently. For new workers, membership for the first six months is free and they can pay the $6 fee if they wish to keep the membership for the rest of the first year.

NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said: "It is certainly an innovation in NTUC's approach, where every worker matters. (We are) now embracing the migrant workers fully into the family."

For Bangladeshi shipyard worker Hossain Imam, 28, yesterday was a chance for him to give back to those who have supported him over the past two years of the pandemic.

At Terusan Recreation Centre in Jurong, volunteers from the Covid-19 Migrant Support Coalition NGO were treated to mutton curry and fresh fruits, a spread which Mr Imam started preparing at 7am. He said: "Before Covid-19, I had no Singapore friends; now I have so many. My mind is fresh because there are people calling me and talking to me.

"I'm so happy to cook for them."