International Migrants Day 2021 Statement

18 December 2021

18 December is International Migrants’ Day. On this day in 1990, the United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. The Convention highlights that migrant workers often find themselves in vulnerable situations where their rights have not been sufficiently recognised. 

This year, we wish to highlight three areas of concern for migrant workers in Singapore, and our recommendations therein. 

Restrictions on movement

Migrant workers’ freedom of movement has not  been restored substantially since lockdowns were imposed in April 2020. While current regulations allow 3000 workers daily (out of around 300,000 dormitory-residing workers) to visit the community, such measures are insufficient to have any significant impact for migrant workers. Nor would the workers have meaningful autonomy and freedom to mingle with their friends and relatives. Moreover, public health experts clarified that there are no discernible public health benefits for discriminating migrant workers. Specific plans to restore freedom of movement to migrant workers in dormitories, according to the same criteria as everyone else, are needed. 

Difficulty in changing employers

Changing employment has always been difficult for migrant workers as the law puts such power in the hands of the employer. This issue has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Employers’ unfettered power to unilaterally terminate their workers and repatriate them has led to severe labour shortages in the construction, marine, process (CMP) and domestic sectors. Current retention schemes led by industry associations must ensure that workers are allowed reasonable autonomy and choice to select employers. 

Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) are facing difficulty in obtaining transfers from their employers due to the shortage of MDWs. As a result, some MDWs are left to continue working with their employers that they do not wish to continue working for, some facing exploitative or abusive situations that they do not wish to report. MDWs should  have the right to switch employers freely, with clearly defined notice periods that employers and employees are to abide by. As a start, MDWs should be allowed to switch employers at the end of their work permit terms. 

Workplace safety

Workplace fatalities remain high. This year, there have been 37 work-related deaths, of which 35 have occurred on worksites. Safety lapses impacted by labour shortage was one of the causes. Each death devastates the worker’s family: many of these workers are sole breadwinners. HOME reiterates its previous recommendations on measures to curb workplace safety, including apportioning greater accountability to those who have power to improve workplace safety conditions, and offering reasonable re-employment opportunities to workers to enable them to speak up about unsafe working conditions. 

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, and the Domestic Workers’ Convention, 2011 (C189). We also wish to draw attention to the specific recommendations articulated earlier this year by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination as regards migrant workers, including eliminating wage discrimnation by nationality and including MDWs under the Employment Act. We also urge the Government to align national laws and policies to respect the international standards and fundamental rights in these conventions. 

We wish all our migrant friends a Happy International Migrants’ Day!