“I've been a union member since 1986 when I joined the then Public Utilities Board, but I only became a union delegate in 1999 when our late General-Secretary Ronald Ng approached me and asked if I would be interested in serving as a union delegate as we lacked representatives at my depot in Dunearn.
“I said why not, gave it a try, and I have never looked back since then,” shared General-Secretary of Public Utilities Board Employees’ Union Shafari Baharawi, 52.
Taking time off his hectic schedule, the engineer spoke to us about serving the needs of his members in the PUBEU.
NTUC This Week: What has kept you going all these years?
Shafari Baharawi: Frankly speaking, I had no interest in the unions, or serving in one – until I made the step in. That’s when I realised that being able to make a difference and help our members through their difficulties gave me a real sense of satisfaction and happiness.
This is what keeps me going as I continue on with this journey.
What are some of the challenges you encounter as a unionist?
There will always be challenges on the job. Many times, when we deal with grievances from our members and meet up with their managers, they (the latter) always have the perception that we are coming after them, and automatically, they become very defensive and tense.
How do you approach such challenges?
I will always educate them (the managers) that when the union comes in, it does not have to mean that there is a problem. Our role is actually to help the management solve problems, and not be viewed as the
troublemaker. It is never about complaining against anyone, but about settling issues and changing for the better.
Being diplomatic, my style is to always try to come to a win-win resolution. As a union leader, I try to be tactful, reason the problem, and propose a solution to mitigate the situation. Getting angry and aggressive with the use of strong language is unnecessary.
Share with us some of the takeaways from your union work?
I’ve learnt that to keep on doing what I do, and do it well, I have to be knowledgeable, which is why I value training and upgrading opportunities. Experience too, is something that’s very important in life. The most important though is building up a good rapport, especially with management and HR.
This good relationship we have with PUB’s management is the result of having built up a strong network. Problems can be solved much more easily when you have a good relationship.
How would you encourage younger members to come forward and serve as leaders?
This is a noble cause that we are undertaking, where we’re working to help our fellow workers. You’ll never know how your passion to help others will come to life, so do come forward, and experience for yourself on what goes on behind the scenes in ensuring good labour management relations, and the
satisfaction of helping your fellow workers.
