They may not be a big union in Singapore but in the 67 years of its existence, the Singapore Tamil Teachers’ Union (STTU) has achieved good growth, according to its 61-year-old General Secretary S. Nalluraj. He has been holding this position for 11 years.
Almost 70 per cent of Tamil language teachers in Singapore are members of STTU.
Mr Nalluraj was a recipient of the Comrade of Labour Award for May Day 2017.
NTUC This Week: Tell us about your union journey with STTU.
S. Nalluraj: I joined STTU in 1985 as an ordinary member, immediately after graduating from the National Institute of Education (NIE). I was invited to take up the position of deputy general secretary of STTU in early 2006 and was appointed general secretary in late 2006. I have been devoting most of my attention to areas such as representing members’ concerns to the Ministry of Education (MOE) HR Division and coordinating professional upgrading programmes for members.
Q: What are some of the experiences you remember most?
A: I remember two instances. I assisted a member who was suffering from a medical problem that made travelling long distances difficult. I worked with MOE's HR officers to get the member a school nearer her home. In another case, I assisted a member who was not offered an extension of employment when she reached the retirement age of 62. I managed to convince MOE's HR division that the teacher was capable of carrying on with her teaching duties effectively as a Flexi-Adjunct Teacher. They are very thankful and appreciate the help deeply. This is the most satisfying and fulfilling aspect of union work. Some of them tell their friends about the help they have received and this has enhanced the reputation of the union.
Q:What are some of the new skills you personally want to acquire and how do you plan to do it?
A: I would like to improve my counselling skills so that I can counsel and provide proper guidance to STTU members who are facing problems in their working environment. I hope to do that by reading up and attending courses.
Q: What are your concerns for the future for STTU?
A: It is becoming increasingly challenging to attract young people with leadership qualities to join the STTU Exco so that they could be trained to take on key positions of the union in the next 10 years. We have been scouting around for promising young officers who are making good progress in their careers and involved them in some of our projects like conferences, symposiums and producing educational resources. We have through these efforts managed to bring in some younger members and we are grooming them to take on the top three positions in STTU in the next 3 years.
Q: What does the Comrade of Labour award mean to you personally and the STTU?
A: I see this award as the Labour Movement's recognition of STTU's contribution to the development and progress of its members. I hope this will encourage existing members to take up union leadership and also make non-members appreciate the role of STTU in promoting the welfare and progress of the Tamil Language teaching community.
Source: NTUC This Week.
