SINGAPORE: A free membership programme that offers migrant workers discounts and benefits on insurance and remittance was launched on Thursday (Feb 22) by the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) and POSB.
A first of its kind in Singapore, the programme will give migrant workers access to savings as well as services they use on a daily basis through the POSB Jolly app.
Such services include remittance and telco services, insurance coverage, travel perks and even an easier access to rent an oBike.
One of the key merchant partners is MoneyGram, which allows remittance to overseas banks and enables migrant workers to send money to predefined beneficiaries, who can collect the remitted amount in their home countries through MoneyGram cash collection points.
MWC and POSB estimate that 200,000 workers could potentially benefit in the first year of the programme.
Singapore had 975,800 work permit holders as of June 2017, including 243,000 foreign domestic workers, who are not included in this programme.
A membership programme for helpers is expected in September.
NTUC Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing and MWC Chairman Yeo Guat Kwang (second from left) with tripartite partners this morning. (Photo credit: NTUC)
MEETING MIGRANT WORKER NEEDS
The membership programme was announced at a partners’ breakfast on Thursday where NTUC Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing was the Guest-of-Honour.
This membership programme is “a package of products and services that can allow us to reach out to the migrant workers to meet their essential needs, yet at the same time it allows us to be in communication with migrant workers to be of assistance to them,” said Mr Chan.
The programme will be rolled out in two phases, with the first phase targeting newly arrived migrant workers who submit their permit application from April 1.
Once an employer opens a POSB bank account for a new migrant worker, an MWC-POSB ATM and Membership card will be issued.
MWC Chairman Yeo Guat Kwang said one of the challenges will be in the second phase of the programme, which targets existing work permit holders with POSB accounts.
Workers can sign up for the MWC-POSB membership once the self-service option is launched in the POSB Jolly app in the fourth quarter of this year.
“We will be going to all the touch points including all the dormitories, the recreation centre and the congregating areas to make it easier for them to come to us to do a simple registration to get onto this network,” said Mr Yeo.
Migrant workers finding out more about POSB jolly App. (Photo credit: POSB)
FUTURE PLANS FOR E-SERVICES FOR FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS
DBS Singapore Country Head Sim S Lim said plans are in place to extend this service to foreign domestic workers.
“Right now a lot of the domestic workers are paid in cash, so this is another way we can include them,” said Mr Sim.
“We make it very simple, and we make the customer’s journey as friendly as we can.”
