They usually work quietly behind the scenes. But on 27 June 2014, 36 award recipients took centrestage at the Labour Movement’s inaugural ‘Appreciating U – Our Cleaners’ Awards. There to receive awards for their outstanding contributions to the cleaning industry, they were cheered on by NTUC Secretary-General, Lim Swee Say; NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and NTUC U Care Centre Director, Zainal Sapari; and management partners. Also in attendance were some 450 cleaners from all over Singapore invited to enjoy the banquet dinner at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The Awards
Organised by the NTUC U Care Centre and Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU), the awards were given out in four categories: ‘Better Worker’ Award, ‘Better Leader’ Award, ‘Better Company’ Award and ‘Better Customer’ Award. Awardees were presented with certificates of recognition.
In addition, the ‘Better Leader’ and ‘Better Worker’ awardees were presented with S$500 worth of NTUC FairPrice vouchers each. The ‘Better Customers’ awardees and the cleaners who nominated them also received S$250 worth of vouchers each.
In Better Appreciation
At the dinner, ASG Zainal shared a story about renowned musician Joshua Bell who once played on the streets of Washington D.C.
“In the 45 minutes the musician played, only six people stopped to listen and when he finished, nobody clapped and he received no recognition. Two days before playing in the Metro Station in D.C., this very same man held a sell-out concert, with each ticket priced at an average of $100,” he recounted.
ASG Zainal said there was a similar trend in Singapore where many do not stop to appreciate those that work hard to make our quality of life better.
The NTUC U Care Centre plans to extend the ‘Appreciating U’ movement to low-wage worker groups such as security officers and landscape technicians.
“This evening is a big step but is only a first step. There are still many steps that we are going to take in the coming years,” said SG Lim.
“Let us work together so that the cleaners in Singapore will be a group of workers who not only perform a very important role but also receive the recognition they fully deserve in our Singapore society.”
Original article written by Naseema Banu Maideen, and can be found in NTUC This Week (6 July 2014)
