ABSTRACT
Singapore is no stranger to migrants: over the past 50 years, the country has been a destination for both labour migrants and asylum-seekers alike. This chapter outlines the history of local activism of migrant workers' rights in Singapore since its independence in 1965. It categorises it into three periods: (1) forging new paths in 1965 to 1979; (2) the Geylang Catholic Centre era in 1980 to 1987, and (3) more organised and secular activism in 2000 to 2015. Social activism for migrant workers in Singapore first began during the 1970s, with efforts to both advocate for these workers and organise them to advocate for themselves. The workers were supposed to receive paid leave for the Chinese New Year holiday, during which most of them returned to their families in Malaysia. The formation of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) represented a turning point in the local history of migrant-related social activism.
