After faithfully serving its members for 29 years, the Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers (AUPDRW) has been dissolved, its remaining 472 members subsumed under the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE).
Due to its declining membership base, AUPDRW took proactive steps to join AUPE, beginning the process of dissolution on 1 June 2021.
Its former general secretary, Raman Kathavarayan, will serve as an Executive Committee Member and Branch Chairman in AUPE. Members of the AUPDRW Executive Committee will continue to serve as branch leaders.
“With the support of the management at the National Environment Agency (NEA), coupled with good labour-management relations, the transition of our members to AUPE went smoothly. Being part of a bigger union now will help us look after our remaining members,” Mr Raman explained.
NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Cham Hui Fong described the dissolution as necessary to ensure that lower-wage workers can enjoy better career progression.
She said: “Moving the workers to be monthly rated and hence dissolving the union was one of the Labour Movement’s first goals to ensure that they can enjoy better work prospects. This move was first proposed by the late G. Muthukumarasmy, veteran trade unionist and former general secretary of AUPDRW. I am glad that workers are still represented by the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees.
“NTUC is also actively engaging lower-wage workers, employers and the Government to push for faster adoption of the Progressive Wage Model, ensuring that our workers enjoy better wages, welfare and work prospects."
AUPDRW was formed on 22 October 1992 as part of a merger of four existing daily rated worker unions. It had 1,200 members.
Its first executive committee consisted of three key leaders, namely, General Secretary A Samy, President Abdul Kader and General Treasurer R Balakrishnan.
On 1 September 1995, AUPDRW merged with the last two standalone public daily rated unions, namely the Public Daily Rated Environmental Health Employees’ Union and Public Daily Rated General Workers’ Union, bringing its total membership base 3,800.
After the mergers, members enjoyed better benefits at the same membership subscription. One such example was members receiving a fixed $200 token upon retirement instead of a sum ranging anywhere from $150 to $200.
The bigger and financially stronger AUPDRW gave the union more funds to help upgrade its members’ skillsets. It also allowed the union to offer scholarships and bursaries to its members’ children.
AUPDRW Leaders briefing members at National Environment Agency's headquarters.
Grooming Members
Throughout its existence, AUPDRW constantly explored ways to enhance the lives of its members, many of whom were low-income earners. Its leaders spent much time and effort in finding ways to fund the upskilling its members, especially those who were less skilled.
In 1995, the Singapore Labour Foundation gave a hand to the union’s cause – matching dollar for dollar the funds raised by the union during its annual dinner and dance.
It was the union’s first grant of $30,000, which went towards training and re-training of members who were generally unskilled or had little formal education. A portion was also set aside for members’ children in the form of scholarships and bursaries.
In 2001, together with the Ministry of Environment and AUPE, AUPDRW organised a beach clean-up at East Coast Park to help raise funds for the union’s education and training fund.
Many other sponsors also came to support the union’s cause. In total, $60,000 was raised for the training of the members.
While unions are non-profit entities, membership strength is crucial for unions to be sustainable.
But for AUPDRW, the well-being of its members came first.
Instead of membership subscription, the union focused much of its efforts on improving the lives of its members by converting them to monthly rated employees.
In 2001, it played a vital role in the corporatisation of the Ministry for the Environment’s refuse collection department by doing just that – transitioning 800 of its members to monthly rated schemes.
While this granted the members more advantages such as better career progression, benefits, higher bonuses and annual increments, it also meant that they would no longer represented by AUPDRW, but by the Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU).
As such, while the union progressively helped its members attain better wages and job prospects, it did so at the cost of its membership base.
Even then, the journey of converting members was not without its challenges. Former AUPDRW Executive Secretary Timothy Phang shared that even till the dissolution of the union, the leaders had to convince its remaining members that the conversion was the way forward.
He added: “Thankfully, the management at the National Environment Agency (NEA) was supportive of this move and made the transition seamless.”
Former AUPDRW General Secretary G. Muthukumarasamy.
The merger with AUPE will complete former general secretary, G. Muthukumarasamy’s goal for the daily rated workers of the public sector.
Brother Kumar, as he was known, hoped that all public daily rated workers to one day become monthly rated workers, allowing them to progress further in their careers.
Brother Kumar passed away on 29 November 2019. He was 68.
He saw it as his duty to improve the lives of his members, even if it meant losing members after they were converted to monthly rated employees.
He was a firm believer in training and persuaded his members to upgrade themselves when the Government launched the National Skills Recognition System back in 2000.
He worked with companies to provide incentives to workers who underwent and completed training. In 2008, he worked with the NEA to implement a job redesign for cleaners. As a result, the workers enjoyed sustained wage increases of more than 20 per cent.
Inaugural branch meeting at AUPE's office.
AUPE General Secretary Sanjeev Tiwari was happy to receive the new incoming members from AUPDRW.
He said: “AUPE warmly welcomes all members of AUPDRW to our big family. AUPE and AUPDRW have shared a close relationship from the early years in the public sector, and the move to becoming monthly-rated employees is a step in the right direction.
“AUPE will continue the good work of being a strong support for these members in advocating for better prospects, progression and well-being. We look forward to working with them.”
For Mr Phang, he said that he will miss the unique bond and camaraderie that the union leaders of AUPDRW shared.
“They value relationships, and they treat each other like family members. I will truly miss this,” he said.
Mr Raman assured his former AUPDRW members that they will continue to be cared for and expressed his appreciation to organisations and associations that have worked closely with AUPDRW throughout the years.
He said: “To my members, please take care of yourself and take care of your health. Together with the rest of our union leaders, we will always be there for you.
“I want to thank NEA’s management, Temasek Foundation and fellow unions for their unwavering support in our union’s programmes and members all these years.”
