International Migrants’ Day 2020 Statement
18 December 2020
18 December is International Migrants’ Day (IMD). This year has been especially difficult for low-wage migrant workers in Singapore. The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed and exacerbated injustices such as inadequate access to healthcare, poor employment protections and lack of job mobility.
HOME is deeply concerned that migrant workers in dormitories continue to be denied freedom of movement. The prolonged confinement of the migrant workers in the dormitories has hindered or delayed many workers’ access to medical care, dispute resolution and re-employment services.
Workers are allowed out of the dorms for one three-hour slot weekly, only to designated recreation centres (RC). With travelling time from their far-flung locations, this has proved unfeasible and unattractive to the workers. Highly restrictive, staggered slots at fixed RCs do not meet their basic human needs to socialise and relax with meaningful autonomy. Current plans to allow migrant workers back in the community do not provide clarity or assurance that life will resume any normality in the foreseeable future. Uninfected workers not under stay-home notices or quarantine orders should be allowed freedom of movement, subject to the same public health measures as Singaporeans.
Preliminary data shows that a staggering 47% of dormitory-dwelling migrant workers have been infected with Covid-19. Having gone through SARS, the measures and action taken for Covid-19 has unveiled similar mistakes and inadequacy. We must do better to protect the health and well-being of our migrant workers.
The pandemic also saw domestic workers facing issues such as increased overwork, isolation and salary non-payment. Some domestic workers were prevented from leaving the house to perform essential errands and were unable to take their rest days even after the commencement of Phase 2. To mitigate these issues, domestic workers should be given better legislative protections. They should be included in the Employment Act, so that they can avail themselves to the protections found therein, such as limits to working hours, and the right to overtime pay. Live-out options should also be provided to domestic workers.
We must go beyond expressions of appreciation. Concrete solidarity and respect for labour rights are vital to improving the protection and well-being of migrant workers. We must recognise the structural injustices that keep migrant workers in highly exploitative conditions, and empower migrant worker communities to collaborate for change. In these times where employment conditions are precarious and opportunities are scarce, migrant workers should be allowed to switch employers freely.
HOME continues to urge the Singapore Government to ratify UN and ILO conventions on migrant workers, including the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the Domestic Workers’ Convention, 2011 (C189); and the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930. We also urge the Government to align national laws and policies to respect the international standards and fundamental rights in these conventions.
Migrant workers contribute significantly to Singapore. However they continue to be marginalised from our community. HOME will continue to work together with all stakeholders towards upholding the rights and well-being of migrants in Singapore.