The Education Services Union (ESU) is taking the lead to be more relevant and representative in the expanding private education sector.
To achieve this, ESU organised a Special Convention of Delegates on 31 July 2017 to amend its constitution to ensure that there is a better representation of branch officials holding positions in ESU’s executive council (exco).
Today, ESU has 24,000 members from 34 branches. The increasing mix of branches also plays an important and timely role, with the prevalence of international and private schools, and the increase in preschools and universities.
ESU President Calista Geraldine Roch said: “For ESU to continue being a strong voice for private education workers, we must ensure that our exco composition is truly reflective of the diversity of the private education industry, at any given point in time.“As such, we have proposed a motion recommending the maximum number of exco members per branch.”
A secret ballot was held, with the result in favour of the constitutional amendment.
Solidarity Forever
ESU Advisor and Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, who attended the event, said that the union has come a long way, and that its formation in 2006 brought a display of commitment by the Labour Movement.
She said: “The leaders and members of ESU were previously from AUPE (Amalgamated Union of Public Employees), SMMWU (The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union) and SISEU (Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union). Therefore the transfer of membership to form this new union [ESU] then was a demonstration of our Labour Movement's solidarity.”
She also complimented the passion and foresight of its leaders back then to set up a dedicated union to service the needs of workers in a nascent private education sector.
