Unions do more than collective bargaining for workers and protect them from exploitation. In fact, the roles of unions also extend to areas such as social, recreation and education.
For decades, unions have helped not only NTUC union members, but also in the education of their members’ children.
By tapping on the NTUC-U Care Education Co-Funding Scheme, unions have given out thousands of bursaries and scholarships over the years. A portion of the funding for bursaries and scholarships come from this scheme, while unions top up the rest.
According to figures released at the National Delegates’ Conference this year, NTUC-affiliated unions and associations tapped on a total of $2.98 million to support education awards between 2015 and 2018, benefitting an average of 6,800 students.
This year, 32 unions and associations tapped on the co-funding scheme, according to NTUC’s Care and Share Department which oversees the fund.
Unions ranged from the omnibus such as Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU) and the Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) to industrial unions like the Chemical Industries Employees’ Union (CIEU) and even house unions such as the Housing and Development Board Staff Union (HDBSU).
Many of these unions work with their management partners to organise bursary and scholarship ceremonies. One of these unions was the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU).
The HSEU Bursary Awards at ITE College Central on 2 February 2019 saw some $90,000 disbursed to 455 members’ children from primary to tertiary levels.
Part of the bursary amount was sponsored by SingHealth, the National Healthcare Group, National University Health System, NTUC Health and the Agency for Integrated Care. The rest was covered by the NTUC-U Care Education Co-Funding Scheme and HSEU.
One SMMWU member’s children who have been benefiting from bursaries and scholarships is 59-year-old Mohamed Hanifar, who works as a lift supervisor. He has been raising his five school-going children singlehandedly after his wife’s passing in 2013.
His eldest daughter Hazirah, 19, has been receiving the awards since she was in Primary 2. She is currently in Polytechnic studying creative writing and has dreams of entering university and becoming a journalist.
Mr Hanifar said in an interview that the bursaries have helped him financially over the years.
He said: “(Every year) we would use them on their school expenditure, which would have otherwise been expensive for me.”
