Singapore: CSO-TU make recommendations on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers
29 April 2009
Press Release
Civil Society
Organisations and Trade Unions Join Forces for the first time to Table
Recommendations on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers to the
Ministry of Manpower
The Local Organizing
Committee (LOC) of the Singapore National Consultation on the ASEAN Declaration
of the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers officially
handed over their recommendations to the Ministry of Manpower. The report,
known as the National Statement is the culmination of two days of consultation with 38 representatives
from 17 organizations comprising of members of
This is the first
time the two sectors have collaborated to produce a report for the authority
and it contains recommendation both to the local government and the regional
body of ASEAN. The collaboration signals a bottom-up approach in examining
labour issues and migrant rights between the two sectors.
As a result, there
are hopes that the government will seriously consider reviewing some of its
policies to better protect the rights of migrant workers.
The LOC was invited
to a closed door meeting with officials from the planning and policy division
of the Ministry on the 22 April 2009 where it learned more about the Ministry\'s
policies and decision making process. The LOC sincerely hopes that this
important meeting marks the beginning of a process of greater collaboration and
engagement between the government and civil society organizations on such
issues, which will in turn complement the already very strong tripartite
relationship the government has with the trade unions.
The LOC comprises of
representatives from the Singapore Working Group for ASEAN (SWGA), National
Trade Union Congress (NTUC), Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), and
Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME)
http://www.workersconnection.org/articles.php?more=113
Download the national
statement
http://www.workersconnection.org/downloads.php?RCID=3
Contact:
Mr Sinapan
Samydorai
Convenor - Task
Force on ASEAN Migrant Workers
Email: samysd@pacific.net.sg
Hp: + 65 94791906