New law centre for migrant workers announced for 2025 at International Migrants Day celebrations

Migrant workers facing salary disputes, work injury woes, employment problems or other legal issues will be able to get free consultations at a new law centre that opens in 2025.

The Migrant Workers’ Law Centre, which will open in the first quarter of the year, is a collaboration between NTUC’s Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) and Pro Bono SG. It will be located on MWC’s premises, at 579 Serangoon Road in Little India.

A memorandum of understanding between the two organisations was signed on Dec 15 at the International Migrants Day 2024 celebration organised by the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group and MWC.

International Migrants Day falls on Dec 18.

Speaking at the event in Jurong Lake Gardens, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said: “The migrant community is an essential part of Singapore’s story.

“All of you here, you build our homes, you care for our loved ones, and you contribute to Singapore’s growth and progress. You have built our HDB flats, our MRT stations and our roads... On behalf of all Singaporeans, I want to say a very big, heartfelt thank you to all of you.”

To enrich migrant workers’ social and recreational options, more can be done to make recreation centres more attractive to migrant workers, Dr Tan added.

For example, Soon Lee Recreation Centre in Jurong will be redeveloped into a recreation hub that will include a larger space to help provide more convenient access to essential government services, and offer more food and beverage and retail options catered to migrant workers’ preferences.

New spaces for functions and training classes will also be added at Penjuru Recreation Centre in Jurong.

MOM will be calling for proposals from external partners in the first half of 2025 for the operation of the Kaki Bukit and Woodlands recreation centres.

Meanwhile, the new law centre will expand Pro Bono SG’s capacity to deliver legal awareness and advice to migrant workers, the charity’s chairman Gregory Vijayendran told The Straits Times.

It will have a full-time on-site lawyer and programme coordinator. It will also tap volunteers from Pro Bono SG’s extensive pool, SG Cares Volunteer Centres and other community organisations specialising in migrant worker support.

This will complement Pro Bono SG’s existing services for migrant workers, who can currently seek free basic legal advice at its legal clinic at Angullia Mosque in Little India on two Sundays a month and at its office at Havelock Square.

The legal clinic at the mosque opened in May 2022, and has seen a high demand for its services. There were 40 per cent more migrant workers seeking legal assistance there in 2024, compared with 2023, Mr Vijayendran said.

The new centre, which will open from Tuesday to Sunday, will likely be able to handle multiple consultations a day.

“With an available, accessible on-site lawyer, migrant workers will receive immediate professional legal advice and assistance, especially for acute injustice cases,” said Mr Vijayendran.

“Our centre will also be a first responder service to reduce delays or barriers our migrant community faces in access to justice.”

He said some of the common areas migrant workers need help with are salary claims, work injury claims, and employment-related, scam and moneylending issues.

Designed to “significantly enhance capacity”, the new centre aims to engage more than 1,000 migrant workers and serve over 120 migrant workers through its legal guidance and representation schemes in 2025, Mr Vijayendran added.

Mr Mariyaselvam Alexander, 44, who works in the construction sector, said one of the common issues his fellow migrant workers have recently faced is scams.

“Some workers are aware of scams... but some do not know what is real or fake,” he said.

Mr Mariyaselvam hopes that with the new law centre, migrant workers can better seek advice on what to do when they get scammed or face other problems like workplace injuries.

He added that its central location in Little India will make it convenient for workers.

Mr Vijayendran said it is important to have a hub that offers comprehensive legal assistance and tailor-made legal representation for migrant workers.

He cited a case where a migrant worker had initially intended to plead guilty to causing the death of a fellow worker in a tragic accident, not fully understanding the charge he was facing.

However, after seeking legal help at Angullia Mosque, Pro Bono SG lawyers stepped in to review the facts and eventually got him acquitted in January 2024.

“With more apt legal services available, we seek to not only restore dignity and hope to them, but also strengthen the dignity and humanity of our entire community,” said Mr Vijayendran.

The Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund will finance the centre for two years, and operations may be subsequently extended, depending on the demand for its services.

On Dec 15, more than 10,000 members of the migrant community attended the International Migrants Day celebration in Jurong Lake Gardens, which featured performances by local and international artistes as well as the finals of a kabaddi tournament.

In total, more than 75,000 migrant workers and migrant domestic workers have participated in celebrations organised by MOM’s ACE Group and about 140 partners.

Some of these events were held earlier in December in locations around the island, including dormitories and recreation centres.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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