Story by Marcus Lin
Bubbly Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Nurse Clinician Mary Chan, 60, who is also Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) Assistant General Secretary, found her vocation early in life and thrives on being able to serve others.
NTUC This Week: You are a nurse, unionist, wife, mother and grandmother. How do you find time for all these things?
Mary Chan: First, you must have passion and a love for what you are doing. If you don’t have that, you may lose interest, feel stressed and then you give up. I also have a secret three-in-one formula, what I call a tripartite partnership of my own where I find time for work, union and family.
Though I may feel stressed at times from shouldering more responsibilities, I do not let the stress overcome me because I enjoy what I am doing. Stress happens when several things require attention all at once. But this can be avoided with proper time management and prioritising to do what’s important first. The challenge is to know which hat to wear and when.
You are now a veteran nurse and unionist. What was your journey like?
I got into the union soon after I became a trainee nurse in 1972 at the age of 17 after leaving school. The unionists were very proactive and came to the hospital where I was attached to give a talk to the new employees. Nurses were then unionised under the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) and it was the union’s founding General Secretary G Kandasamy’s wife, a nurse herself, who gave the talk.
If I am not mistaken, almost everyone joined the union after the talk. We just signed on for the union, even though some of us did not know what we were signing. Obviously, it was fortunate that the unionists came and we signed up.
How does holding union office differ from being an ordinary member?
I would say it is very enriching and satisfying in many ways. It gives me a chance to be more involved and to learn more about union work and the rights of the people on the ground. I am also in a position to do more for members.
As many people may be NTUC or union members without realising their rights and the benefits available, I am able to help them and this includes disciplinary and industrial relations matters.
The satisfaction comes when they approach me to say thank you and call me by name which does not happen if I do not go to the ground. It really makes me feel that my job is appreciated. It is also good advertisement for union recruitment because people will want to join the union when they see their colleagues enjoying the benefits.
What kind of help do you get to do your union work?
To be able to do all that requires supportive employers which I am lucky to have here at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. For instance, in addition to having understanding superiors who grant union leave when needed, the HR department supports me with staff to help with all the administrative work and provides space for the union office. I also have the support of the union and the support and understanding of my husband and children. They all allow me to juggle all my different roles.
