By Ramesh Subbaraman
Singaporeans for sure have a gentle and soft spot for low-wage workers among their midst – as shown in yet another successful year of fund raising by the NTUC-U Care Fund, which consolidates the Labour Movement’s fund raising efforts.
For 2015, over $11.2 million has been raised to provide assistance to low income union members.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and NTUC Care and Share Director Zainal Sapari revealed this during a media sharing session and later at a charity dinner to thank contributors.
The figure was unveiled by NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing at the U Care Charity Dinner held at the Orchid Country Club on 23 July 2015.
“It does reflect that there are still people out that who believe in the cause that we are doing and they are still willing to contribute to provide assistance to our low income union members,” said Mr Zainal.
SG Chan said on his Facebook: “NTUC takes a concerted effort to better the lives of our low-income union members. Through the progressive wage model, our workers earn more with better skills and better jobs. Through NTUC-U Care Fund, we help union members stretch their dollars when they purchase daily necessities. U Care Fund also provides Back To School vouchers for their children.”
Also present at the event were NTUC President Diana Chia and nearly 950 sponsors, union leaders and corporate executives.
Fund Raising Target
With an additional $0.5 million garnered in memory of the late founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the total amount raised was $11,267,078.
An anonymous individual contributed $173,950 in memory of the Late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
NTUC FairPrice Foundation contributed $2.6 million through the ‘Share a Heart coz U Care’ campaign towards the U Care Fund. The campaign pledged to donate $50 for each bookmark signed by its customers and the community.
Over 50,000 bookmarks were signed and collected from 1 May to 30 June 2015.
Said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and NTUC Care and Share Director Zainal Sapari,
“As a Labour Movement, it is in our DNA to look after the low-wage workers. The acid test for the Labour Movement is really what are you doing to help the workers at the bottom.”
Uplifting Low Wage Workers
Here’s a quick look at some of the key achievements by the Labour Movement to better the lives of low-wage workers.
> The Progressive Wage Model is estimated to benefit some 74,500 low-wage workers in the cleaning, security and landscaping sectors when PWM is mandated? in these sectors progressively.
> Since November 2013, the NTUC U Care Centre (UCC) has reached out to more than 50,000 low-wage workers, and assisted more than 5,500 on workplace issues.
> UCC targets to reach out to 70,000 low-wage workers this year through its various outreach events like road shows, Appreciating U events and U Care seminars in the heartlands.
> In April this year, UCC also launched monthly free legal clinics, with some 20 low-wage workers having sought advice.
> UCC is in discussions with various partners to make its services more accessible to workers in the heartlands, as it works towards establishing its satellite centres in other parts of Singapore.
> Also in discussions with the Manpower Ministry is a Salary Relief Assistance Scheme to help low-wage workers with a one-time payment to manage their daily cost of living issues in the event a company goes bankrupt and is unable to pay workers.
Beneficiaries In 2015
> U Stretch Voucher Programme: The U Stretch vouchers, amounting to $2.675 million this year, will help low-income union members stretch their dollars on daily basic necessities.
> U Care Back To School Voucher Programme: It assists low-income members defray the cost of their children's school expenses for the new school year. This year, the Labour Movement has set aside $3.8 million to help some 31,000 low-income members’ children.
> Revised the income criteria: The eligibility income criteria for the U Stretch and Back to School voucher programmes has been increased this year. With the revision, some 11,000 more beneficiaries are expected to benefit.
Source: NTUC This Week
