By Naseema Banu Maideen
The good news of the bigger pay packets had already arrived in December last year for both Madam Ng Ah Hoi, 63, and Mr Kang Yu Lim, 66. They shared this joy with some 700 general cleaners contracted under the Ministry of Education who all enjoyed an increment of $300. This translated into a salary of $1,050 for these workers.
But they know this feat was not a easy task. Just as their employer, Weishen Industrial Services Private Limited, the Government and their union, Building Construction and Timber Industries’ Employees Union (BATU) have worked together to improve their expertise and knowledge in their field of work, workers like Madam Ng and Mr Kang have also done their part.
“I have sat through about seven training courses, all related to my job. I learnt a lot of things about using the right types of chemicals, operating of cleaning machines and safety practices,” shared Mr Kang.
He was referring to the deck of Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programmes that he has attended with the motivation from his employer and union.
Madam Ng has done no less in her training agenda. She has covered WSQ training sessions that have taught her more effective ways of carrying out her job, which involves keeping washrooms, corridors and the school hall spick and span.
Weishen Industrial Services Private Limited’s HR Manager Margaret Pu shared that all this training has indeed paid off: “With training, Mr Kang now operates the hydro-jetting equipment to wash ceilings. He is also more alert and careful when handling chairs and tables in his logistics task, a result of what he learnt in workplace safety.
“Madam Ng is also more efficient with her cleaning duties as she can pick out the most suitable cleaning detergents to get her job done well on the first round.”
She added that while there may not have been significant change in their job scopes, “there definitely has been an increase in their productivity with better knowledge and skills gained through their training.”
