A very good afternoon to all our brothers, sisters and friends!
Happy May Day, 劳动节快乐
Tholil-lalar thina nal-valthukkal (தொழிலாளர் தின நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்)
Shuvo May Dibosh (শুভ মে দিবস!)
We thank and recognise all workers in Singapore and across the world.
And today we are dedicating this celebration and recognition to the migrant workers who are here in Singapore.
I will make three very quick short points. All starting with the letter ‘A’. The first one is Appreciation.
Migrant Workers’ Contribution to Singapore
I want to say my heartfelt appreciation to all migrant workers who have been here in Singapore either for one year or for more than 10 years.
Many of you have helped, in fact, all of you have helped to build our roads, our homes, our community and our ports and ships.
So today we want to say a big thank you. But we know it is also not very easy for all of you. You have to leave your home many thousand kilometers away. You leave your family and your loved ones. So you are here, not just to build a better life for yourselves, but also your families.
On behalf of all in NTUC and of all in Singapore, we want to say a big thank you to all our migrant workers. A round of applause for our workers please.
We Stand by You, Always
The second ‘A’ is Assurance. I want to let all the workers and brothers here know today the NTUC and MWC, the Migrant Workers’ Centre, is here for you. We will stand with you. We will stand by you in whatever you go through here in Singapore.
Recently, only last week I'm sure you all heard about the incident of a few hundred migrant workers who are left with unpaid wages and unsecured jobs.
We understand their anxieties. MWC immediately stepped in very quickly, provided short-term support in terms of food, housing, medical and transport. Right now, we are also working with MOM to try and claim those wages from their employers and at the same time help every affected worker with a new job placement.
We are very thankful that many employers have stepped forward to provide over 400 job opportunities.
And in the coming weeks, all these workers will be going for their job placement.
So we want to thank all the employers for their support. Thank the Government for leaning forward to help claim all those wages and together. I'm sure we can overcome these episodes of uncertainty.
This is just one example. Over the past year, I know that more than 10,000 workers have come forward to MWC to seek help with either finance, housing, medical, insurance and legal support.
Regardless of their situation, MWC is here to help you. My only ask for all those who are not yet members is to join the Migrant Workers’ Centre as a member. So that we can better support and better help you in your journey here in Singapore. That's the second A.
Celebrating You, Investing in your Future
The third ‘A’ I want to share with you is Advancement. So today we don't just celebrate your achievements. We also want to assure you that we want to create more opportunities for you to learn new skills and advance.
We are very happy today. We are partnering IITAAS, which is India Institute of Technology Alumni Association Singapore, to sign an MOU with MWC to invest in digital literacy for all migrant workers.
We want to thank IITAAS for their support. And with these new skills, hopefully can create new opportunities for you here in Singapore and give you a better future going forward.
So those are the 3 ‘A’s: Appreciation, Assurance, Advancement. Last but not least, on May Day, we always recognise outstanding employees and workers.
This year we are recognising employees from the marine sector, who have helped to build our ship, repair our ship, build our ports. We thank you. And this year we want to recognise you. How about we give them a big round of applause?
Lastly, I also want to thank acknowledge Singapore Marine Engineering Employees’ Union, SMEEU, for your strong support in investing in uplifting our workers and making sure all our workers are taken care of.
Closing
Thank you very much. Happy May Day. Have a good celebration. Today is for you.
Together with NTUC, MWC, we can make a better future for Singapore, for you and for your families back at home.
Thank you very much.
