They call themselves husband and wife. That’s how “intimate” the relationship is between the Housing Board Development’s (HDB) management and the union. Housing and Development Board Staff Union’s (HDBSU) Sampath Kamdasamy , 57, said that both share a trust that has evolved over the years.The senior estate manager has been with HDBSU for 29 years. He is currently the union’s deputy general secretary (DGS).
Q: Tell us about your union journey in HDBSU.
K Sampath: I joined the union in the 80s and was elected as chairman of the Parking Supervisor Staff Branch. In my role as DGS now, I am the chairman of the Mutual Aid Welfare (MAW) and Corporate and Finance Secretariats (CFS). Some of the programmes under my care include matters concerning hospitalisation, bursary awards ceremonies and long membership and retirement awards. I also help our members deal with NTUC Income when it comes to medical and death claims.
What is HDBSU doing to help its members in the age of digitalisation?
Digitalisation in HDB is not new to us. We have been undergoing changes all this while. From the day we joined HDB till now, we have seen many forms of transformation. Previously, everything was manual and with technological advancement, this has made our work processes easier, meaningful and challenging. Our parking staff used to issue parking notices manually. Now they use an electronic hand-held terminal. Fear to learn new things and face transformation will always be there for staff. But the union’s assurance of job security gives them the boost to learn and upgrade to keep pace with the changes. The good thing about our ties with the management is that the union is always consulted first before new initiatives are introduced.
Let me share another example. Recently, HDB introduced the Parking Mobile App where motorists need not display hard copy parking coupons. Staff who were in this area of work were trained in other aspects and redeployed to do other jobs.
How does HDBSU encourage women to help out in union work?
Women in our society play many roles. They tend to set aside family as more important. HDBSU’s women officials mix around well with other union officials. They also play an influential role in encouraging other women to come forth and serve the union. In HDBSU, we are flexible with the roles women want to play. This then gives us a chance to groom them slowly to take on larger leadership positions in the union.
What challenges do you see for HDBSU in the next five years?
The immediate challenge for HDBSU in the next five years is to tackle our membership growth. We have been organising regular dialogues with non-members to find why they are not joining. We also rope in our senior management to join us and give staff members an assurance that the union is the management’s partner. Some members fear that the management will ‘mark’ them if they are a union member.
Good To Know
Housing and Development Board Staff Union (HDBSU)
Date of Registration:20 October 1967
Date of Affiliation to NTUC: January 1971
Membership: 4,000 members
