ASIA Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation – the philanthropic arm of APB, which brews Tiger Beer and Heineken – on Tuesday announced a S$75,000 cash donation to support migrant workers affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The donation was made to the Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund, the charity arm of the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC).
The proceeds will be used to offer daily necessities and basic essentials to migrant workers while they are in isolation, as well as to provide food and accommodation for those unable to get home due to travel cancellations. The money will also go towards providing financial support to migrant workers who are not working due to the “circuit-breaker” measures.
In a press statement, APB Foundation said that the virus outbreak has severely affected migrant workers, who make up over 70 per cent of Singapore’s total Covid-19 infections, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health.
“As cases at foreign worker dormitories continue to spike in recent days, the economic consequences of Covid-19 have also added pressure on migrant workers and their families,” it noted.
Dolf van den Brink, chairman of APB Foundation and Heineken’s Asia-Pacific president, said: “Migrant workers have long been an important part of Singapore’s infrastructural growth. They are among the most vulnerable group of people hit hardest by the Covid-19 outbreak.
“We hope that our contribution will provide some support and relief to help them ride through this storm. We would also like to call on others to do what they can to extend a helping hand to all migrant workers.”
MWC’s chairman Yeo Guat Kwang noted that APB’s donation will allow it the flexibility to respond to the “immediate and varying needs of its migrant workers”.
“It is really heartwarming to have an organisation like APB Singapore giving back to the migrant community during this challenging time,” said Mr Yeo.
Established in 2009, the MWC is a bipartite initiative of the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation. MWC assists migrant workers to redress work-related disputes and furthers education and awareness among them of their employment rights.