Some 2,000 essential workers such as cleaners and security officers can expect new or improved rest areas with the introduction of a $1 million Workcare Grant by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo and Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad made the announcement on 14 May 2021, during a visit to Jurong Point Shopping Centre to observe the provision of rest areas for workers.
Administered by NTUC’s U Care Centre, the grant will provide eligible building owners, service buyers and providers with up to 80 per cent funding for the provision of new rest areas, or improvements made to existing ones.
On the provision for better rest areas for workers, Mrs Teo said: “Our call to them [service buyers] is to ask that they respond positively to this movement, where we all do our part to show care and concern for essential service workers to let them know that they are valued members of the community.”
The grant encourages the adoption of solutions to improve work environments.
Building owners, service buyers and service providers who employ at least 10 outsourced essential services workers are eligible for the grant.
The Tripartite Advisory on the Provision of Rest Areas for Outsourced Workers also calls for building owners, service buyers and providers to provide proper and reasonable rest areas for essential workers.
Funding will be capped at $8,000 for creation of new rest areas, and $3,000 for improvements made to existing ones.
Interested applicants may visit www.ntuc.org.sg/ucarecentre to find out more about eligibility as well as the application process.
MOM will identify solutions that have the potential to be expanded in scale to benefit more of such workers.
Following the visit to Jurong Point, NTUC Director of Operations and Mobilisation Division Secretariat Fahmi Aliman said on a facebook post: “NTUC regularly engages service buyers on providing rest areas for outsourced workers. Most service buyers expressed that they would like to provide rest areas, but the biggest challenges they face is a lack of Gross Floor Area (GFA) and applying for additional GFA for rest areas would incur a development charge.”
Mr Fahmi, who is also a member on the Tripartite Workgroup for Lower-Wage Workers, said that NTUC has been lobbying for the waiver of this charge.
“It is only right that outsourced workers have access to proper rest areas for their well-being. Services buyers will also benefit from well-rested workers. NTUC will continue to work with building management to propose solutions for proper rest areas to be built, in accordance with the Tripartite Advisory on Provision of Rest Areas for Outsourced Workers,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, MOM has also released its findings of the Workcare pilot study on supporting the well-being of essential services workers.
The Workcare pilot was commissioned in November 2019 to study the needs and challenges of service buyers, providers, workers, and other stakeholders on the provision of rest areas for outsourced workers.
In collaboration with West Coast Town Council and Ang Mo Kio Town Council, the study provided some cost effective and easy-to-implement interventions for service buyers and providers to enhance rest areas.
These interventions include the provision of personal lockers to store personal belongings; allowing workers to customise their rest areas to give them a sense of belonging; showcasing the work of workers through redesigned notices to build a connection between workers and residents; creation of opportunities for residents to express appreciation for the workers’ work.
The findings will inform and complement the efforts of the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers, which is considering a multi-pronged effort to uplift these workers’ well-being.
“As a fair an inclusive society, we want to make sure we uplift our lower-wage workers. And that is one of the biggest objectives of our Tripartite Workgroup for Lower-Wage Workers,” said Mr Zaqy.
