New legal center for migrant workers announced for 2025 during International Migrants Day celebrations

SINGAPORE – Migrant workers facing wage disputes, workplace accidents, employment issues or other legal issues will be able to benefit from free consultations at a new legal center opening 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’ Center (MWC) and Pro Bono SG. It will be located at the MWC premises at 579 Serangoon Road in Little India.

A memorandum of understanding between the two organizations was signed on December 15 during the celebration of International Migrants Day 2024 organized by the Insurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) group of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the MWC.

International Migrants Day falls on December 18.

Speaking at the event at Jurong Lake Gardens, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said: “The migrant community is a vital part of Singapore’s history.

“All of you here build our homes, care for our loved ones, and contribute to the growth and progress of Singapore. You built our HDB flats, our MRT stations and our roads… On behalf of all Singaporeans, I would like to say a very big and sincere thank you to you all.

To enrich social and recreational options for migrant workers, more can be done to make leisure centers more attractive to migrant workers, Dr Tan added.

For example, Soon Lee Leisure Center in Jurong will be redeveloped into a leisure center which will include a larger space to help provide more convenient access to essential government services and offer more food, beverage and retail options tailored to the preferences of migrant workers.

New spaces for functions and training classes will also be added at the Penjuru Leisure Center in Jurong.

MOM will launch a call for proposals from external partners in the first half of 2025 for the operation of the Kaki Bukit and Woodlands leisure centers.

Meanwhile, the new legal center will expand Pro Bono SG’s ability to provide information and legal advice to migrant workers, the charity said. ” president Gregory Vijayendran told The Straits Times.

There will be a full-time on-site attorney and program coordinator. It will also be faucet volunteers from Pro Bono SG’s extensive pool, SG Cares volunteer centers and other community organizations specializing in supporting migrant workers.

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

THE The mosque’s legal clinic opened in May 2022 and has seen high demand for its services. There were 40 percent more migrant workers seeking legal assistance there in 2024 compared to 2023, Mr. Vijayendran said.

The new center, which will open Tuesday to Sunday, will likely be able to handle several consultations per day.

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

“Our center will also be a first responder service to reduce any delays or barriers our migrant community faces in accessing justice. »

He said some of the common areas where migrant workers need help are wage claims, work injury claims and employment-related issues, scams and money lending.

Designed to “significantly enhance capacity,” the new center aims to hire more than 1,000 migrant workers and serve more than 120 migrant workers through its legal counseling and representation programs in 2025, Vijayendran added.

M Maryaselvam Alexandre, 44 years old, who works in the construction sector, said one of the common problems his fellow migrant workers have faced recently is scams.

“Some workers are aware of the scams…but others don’t know what’s real or fake,” he said.

Mr Mariyaselvam hopes that with the new legal center, migrant workers will be better able to seek advice on what to do when they are scammed or face other problems such as workplace accidents.

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

Mr Vijayendran said it is important to have a center providing comprehensive legal assistance and tailor-made legal representation to migrant workers.

He cited the case of a migrant worker who had initially intended to plead guilty to causing the death of a colleague in a tragic accident, without fully understanding the charge against him.

However, after seeking legal assistance from the Angullia Mosque, Pro Bono SG lawyers intervened to examine the facts and eventually secured his acquittal in January 2024.

“By having better legal services, we seek not only to restore dignity and hope, but also to strengthen the dignity and humanity of our entire community,” said Mr. Vijayendran.

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

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

In total, more than 75,000 migrant workers and migrant domestic workers participated in the celebrations organized by MOM’s ACE Group and around 140 partners.

Some of these events took place in early December in locations around the island, including dormitories and recreation centers.

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