The Labour Movement has always advocated for the interests of low-wage workers and strives towards caring for them using a holistic approach so that they can enjoy better work conditions and better standards of living.
Through the efforts of the NTUC U Care Centre and NTUC-U Care Fund, low-wage workers now have a place to approach to seek help on workplace issues; while low-wage union members can apply for assistance schemes to help them better cope with the costs of living.
In a sharing session held today, Mr Zainal Sapari, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, and Director of NTUC U Care Centre and Care & Share Department (the department that oversees the management of the U Care Fund) highlighted the ongoing efforts of the Labour Movement that have impacted low-wage workers significantly and other areas that will be enhanced to benefit more workers.
NTUC U Care Centre (UCC) – Caring for low-wage workers
Deepening Progressive Wage Model (PWM) Efforts
As a strong advocate for the PWM to enhance low-wage workers’ skills, wages, productivity and career, UCC has worked very closely with the unions, service buyers and service providers to ensure the roll-out of the PWM in the cleaning, security and landscape sectors to benefit low-wage workers.
These efforts have brought about higher real wage increases for the lowest 20th percentile of the working population in the last five years. An estimated 74,500 low-wage workers will benefit from better skills and better pay, with increased productivity and enhanced career progression pathways.
Moving ahead, UCC plans to explore ways to deepen its PWM efforts within the existing licensing framework. It also aims to encourage key players in other sectors to implement the culture of PWM for their low-wage workers.
Expanding Network, Broadening Reach
The UCC was set up by NTUC in November 2013 to support low-wage workers in Singapore. As a one-stop centre, UCC provides low-wage workers with guidance on work-related issues and opportunities to earn a better living. Through advocating fair employment and fair wages, UCC strives towards being the voice for this vulnerable group of workers.
While UCC was set up only in 2013, it is a centre that has evolved from the NTUC Unit for Contract and Casual Workers (UCCW). The UCCW already took form in late 2006 to enhance the employability and welfare of low-wage workers. In April 2010, UCCW set up a one-stop Centre for Contract and Casual Workers (C3W) to provide holistic and targeted assistance to low-wage contract and casual workers.
Realising the need to look after the needs of all low-wage workers across all sectors, UCCW was expanded to take the form of UCC. It has since 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 roadshows, Appreciating U events and U Care seminars in the heartlands, to allow more members of the public to be aware of the UCC. The outreach efforts also aim to equip low-wage workers with knowledge of their employment rights, Workfare schemes, training and upgrading opportunities. More details about the U Care seminars can be found in Annex A.
As part of these outreach efforts, UCC’s collaboration with the Enhanced Mosque Clusters and Mendaki SENSE to reach out more aggressively to the low-wage workers in the Malay-Muslim community has resulted in 4,000 Malay-Muslim workers being educated on their basic employment rights and statutory benefits.
In April this year, UCC also launched monthly free legal clinics that provide low-wage workers with advice on non-employment related issues such as will-writing, housing matters and matrimonial issues. Working with the Law Society of Singapore, these have proven popular with workers, with all sessions fully subscribed each month. To date, about 20 low-wage workers have sought advice at the legal clinics. UCC will continue providing such sessions to help more workers who need free legal 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.
Efforts to Show Appreciation
UCC also initiated the ‘Appreciating U’ Movement to promote greater appreciation and respect for low-wage workers in April 2014, where companies, individuals and the general public were encouraged to come together to show appreciation through various events. UCC has been working closely with various stakeholders to spread the message of this gesture.
The Appreciating U campaign has gained traction, with approximately 45,000 workers being appreciated through ground-up initiatives organised by their employers and workplaces. To bring the message to the masses, UCC will be launching the “Thumbs Up and Say Thank You” campaign on 23 July 2015 (more details in Annex A). Following requests from schools to raise awareness of this initiative amongst their students, UCC also hopes to work with the educational institutions to spread the message to our youth.
NTUC-U Care Fund – Caring for low-income union members
The NTUC-U Care Fund was established in 2009 to consolidate the Labour Movement’s fundraising efforts to better the welfare of low-income union members and their families. Since its inception, over $80 million has been raised to help union members and their family members cope with costs of living through assistance programmes. More details of the assistance programmes can be found in Annex B.
This year, the fund has surpassed its 2015 target of raising $10.5 million. With an additional $0.5 million garnered in memory of the late founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the total amount raised (note: amount is embargoed till 8.30pm, 22 July 2015) is $11,267,078. More details of the Charity Dinner can be found in Annex B.
As a commitment to taking care of our low-income union members, NTUC Club is offering 1,000 room nights at the newly launched D’Resort @ Downtown East at a heavily subsidised rate of $50 per night so that members and their families can enjoy bonding time. The Care and Share department will be working closely with D’Resort to reach out to the existing pool of U Care Fund’s beneficiaries and extend this special rate to them. Eligible members can book Park View chalet rooms for stays beginning from August 2015.
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