It is clear from Scripture that there are Old Testament laws (For example, Ex 22:21, 23:9, 23:12; Lev 19:33-34, Dt 5:14, 14:29, 15:15, 16:11, 16:14, 26:12-13) which governed how the Israelites were to treat the stranger and the alien amongst them. The key principles which may be gleaned from these laws are humane treatment, equality, and fairness. It is submitted that these principles should likewise guide our view and treatment of the migrant workers, who are essentially strangers in our midst.

We are called to be fair, kind, and to love them (Lev 19:33-34). The basis is that God’s very heartbeat is with those who are aliens, poor, and downtrodden. God’s favor and care for such people is written in His divine nature (Dt 10:17-19).

The migrant worker community in Singapore
Migrant workers currently constitute about a third of Singapore’s labor force. What then are the issues of injustice faced by migrant workers? One fundamental wrong committed to these migrant workers is the exorbitant agency fees which they are required to pay just to come to Singapore to work. Some of these workers are promised a certain pay and number of hours of work (for overtime pay) by unscrupulous and profiteering agents only to realise upon arriving in Singapore that the promises are empty ones.

Some of these migrant workers are forced to live in cramped, inhumane living conditions by employers hoping to reduce the costs of accommodating their workers. Others were denied regular wages despite representations made by their employers and agents. Some had to risk their lives and safety by working in unsafe working conditions because of the neglect of their employers. When injured, some were denied fair workmen’s compensation because their employers did not ensure proper insurance coverage.

Special mention must be made of domestic workers who are victims of abuse (emotional and physical) at the hands of their employers. Many of them are denied a day of rest and some have to work long hours with excessive chores by being illegally deployed by their employers to assist in their businesses.

Transforming justice

In the light of these issues, an urgent and effective response of transforming justice is called for.

Inner transformation

Yet the cause for justice must begin with ourselves. We need to be transformed from within in order to have discriminatory mindsets and archaic paradigms removed. We need to admit to our own fears and prejudices as we seek to address and overcome them with the love of God. We must desire to receive God’s renewal of our hearts and minds as we seek to reach out to these migrant workers. In the pursuit of authentic relationships, reciprocity of friendship is that which we must be open to embrace.

Cross-cultural appreciation

In effecting transforming justice, we need to acquire a cross-cultural understanding of the migrant worker community.

The way to that is to embrace an Incarnational and Crucifional mission². To be incarnational is to serve (John 13:1-17) – and to share lives with them. It is to be amongst them, to listen to their stories, to feel their pain and loneliness and to be in touch with the realities of their lives.

To be crucifional is simply to be prepared to suffer for the cause. While we may not be able to carry the burdens for these workers, we can carry our load with them. We suffer alongside as we seek to bring justice to the situations they are in.

However, as we seek to be both incarnational and crucifional, we will acquire a deeper appreciation of their cultural backgrounds and therefore the resulting struggles of these workers. That will put us in a pivotal position to bring transforming justice to these workers, often not so much in the actual outcomes, but rather in the process of building authentic relationships with them.

Social action

As we contemplate justice to the individual through the means of social action, it is imperative to apply different tracks and approaches to different categories of migrant workers.

I would classify them under two main categories:

a. Victims of abuse

These would be migrant workers who suffer abuse and acts of injustice by agents, employers or other persons. The types of social action required for these would be namely advocacy, accurate and practical support, emotional and spiritual counseling, sustenance, and shelter in some instances. Such services and support must be effective, sensitive, and strategic.

The victims of abuse are the ones who immediately need relief and help. However, let us not forget that they too are relational beings with a deep desire for friendship. In our social action, may we not simply focus on meeting the immediate needs but build God-centered relationships in the process.

b. Non-victims of abuse

There are many migrant workers who are in fact not victims of abuse. They have fair and good employers, reasonable agents, and are content with their work life in Singapore. What transforming justice do they need?

If we understand justice as a relational reality, then God would want us to extend a hand of outreach to these workers by building a community with them. Many of these workers suffer from an emotional void birthed out of loneliness, homesickness, and the need for physical intimacy and sexual gratification.

The social action needed for many of these workers is the giving of emotional and community support and proper education on how to handle their needs. Through friendship, education, and counseling, the aim is to equip and develop them to be more self-sufficient and able to handle the rigours of living a migrant life in Singapore (for example, conducting English classes and Legal Clinics for awareness of the laws). To this end, we must collaborate in partnership with like-minded migrant workers who would be able to assist in helping their own integrate into a community here. Sometimes, the most effective volunteers are fellow migrant workers, being themselves marginalized, reaching their own with such strength of empathy and identification.³

Social Reform

The matter of social reform for the issues concerning migrant workers is a far more complex one. One needs to identify the systems and structures behind the recruitment, employment, and well-being of migrant workers here. Some of these involve cross-national issues like the agent’s code of ethics in the sending countries which are apparently beyond our nation’s control.

However, to deal with structural injustice, there needs to be a Christian vision of what ethical recruitment and employment should be, followed by a key analysis of the causes of current situations and abuse for workers, followed by actively implementing necessary and effective solutions.

There is much reform required for the prevailing systems of employment for migrant workers in Singapore but a start must and can be made somewhere. The outcome of any effort at reform will not be known overnight but if the seed has been sown, then it is the Lord who will bring about the harvest of righteousness.

Conclusion
At HealthServe⁴, a community development organization where I interned for about a month, I experienced a deep authentic exchange with Mr Yin Cheng Hua, a Chinese migrant worker from Shandong. We walked through his workmen’s compensation case, and through divine providence, the outcome was fair! Yet justice is done, not because he has received compensation, but because he has experienced the reality of heartfelt care and concern by those in HealthServe, worthy to be called his Singaporean friends.

In this world where relationships are often fleeting and superficial, Mr Yin’s encounter with us has been countercultural. But that should not come as a surprise. Our role is to envisage and bring about an alternative reality. Justice is that alternative reality! Let us press on with courage and perseverance, and let us do the work to which we are called.

Currently a second year student at Trinity Theological College, Raymond was trained as a lawyer and worked in the Government before leaving his profession to pursue theological studies in response to God’s call to full-time ministry. He worships at Wesley Methodist Church and has served in various capacities in lay leadership, including his current role as a worship leader. He is married to Grace and has a four-year old son, Timothy.

1. It would be in the range of $8,000 to $16,000 for a construction worker from China.
2. Warrington, Keith. “Social Transformation in the missions of Jesus and Paul: Priority or Bonus?” In Movement for Change: Evangelical Perspectives on Social Transformation, edited by David Hilborn, 52. Carlisle: Paternoster/ACUTE, 2004.
3. Hsu, Peter C.Y. “Bridging Communities. Bringing Healing. Inspiring Hope. Reflections on HealthServe’s Journey with Migrant Workers in Singapore” In Church and Society in Asia Today. The Journal for Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia, Vol 11 No.3, December 2008.
4. HealthServe is a volunteer-run, non profit community development organization run on Christian values. They are dedicated to serving the poor, disadvantaged, and vulnerable groups in the community, regardless of ethnicity, gender, language, and religion. Check out their website at www.healthserve.org.sg.