By Marcus Lin
Having seen the good that NTUC does even before he joined a union, United Workers of Petroleum Industry (UWPI) Vice-President Anil Kumar Vijai Narain, 42, a Senior Process Technician at Denka (S) Pte Ltd, became a union member the first chance he got.
NTUC This Week: How did you hear about NTUC?
Anil Kumar Vijai Narain: It was while I was looking for a job after leaving the Singapore Navy where I served for seven years. I went for job fairs and NTUC helped me get several interviews. I was very impressed with NTUC and told myself that if I can get such privileges as a non-member, I must sign up as a union member as soon as I found a job. I became an ordinary member when I found my present job in 1999.
What made you go into union work?
From day one, many of my colleagues asked me to join the union Branch Committee. I could not as I had just started a family then and needed to spend more time with them. But I knew that I would help out at the right time.
From the time I started work in 1999, I had seen the good work that the union leaders were doing and that motivated me to do my part. Finally, in 2008 I joined the Branch Committee. My involvement started off with the Annual Increment negotiations and that was my first time meeting the top management in my company. I saw how my seniors negotiated with them, including preparing and negotiating for good Collective Agreements, and that’s how I learned. From there I became Branch Chairman in 2010 and was elected into the UWPI Executive Committee the same year. In 2013, I was elected UWPI Vice-President.
What are the qualities of a good union leader?
There must be a passion to help members. It gives me satisfaction to be able to help and just a word of thanks from a member keeps me going. Thanks to NTUC, I went through industrial relations courses up to advanced level and learnt a lot on how to handle cases, how to speak to management and even what tone you should use.
What do you think makes a good union?
It is very important to have good Branch Committees and an Executive Committee that work closely together. Good leaders listen to every small detail and don’t differentiate between small and big matters. That is how my union works. They take every issue very seriously and will follow up. They will get back to you and even before you ask what has happened in a particular issue, it is already settled.
Moving forward, we want to get younger leaders to step up like how I did. Balancing family, work and union work is not that difficult if you have the passion and proper guidance. Once you start doing it, you get used to wearing the extra hat and find it meaningful.
Source: NTUC This Week
