He may have accumulated 25 years of experience in the resort business, but it was fairly recently that Mohamed Riaz Mohamed Omar, 55, decided to become more involved in union work.
That was back in 2009, when NTUC Club Staff Union was restructured from a house union to become an industry union, and was called the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (AREU).
When asked to step up to be a branch official, his first thought was that his children were all grown up, and he had more time on his hands to concentrate on union work. One thing led to another and he is now part of AREU’s executive committee, serving his first term as its General Secretary.
NTUC This Week: What are some of the highlights in your journey as a union leader?
Mohamed Riaz: We are always helping our members either financially or with their grievances. The cases closest to my heart are from my own branch. Maybe it’s because I’m in the service line and always serving others but doing union work is for something even better than a salary. At the end of the day, when others are happy, you will be able to see it on their faces, even if they don’t say it. That is what keeps me going.
I’m sure helping others is not as easy as it seems.
Of course not. Every staff member will have their own grievances, be it by their own fault or because of management. As a union leader, we want to help them because the mistakes may not be intentional. We will need to sit on the fence and see how we can help both management and members. Sometimes, we can’t have staff take advantage of management, or else it would set a precedent.
What is your leadership style?
I like to listen to the other party first. If it’s a legal matter, then I’ll be very firm. There must be a way where we can work something out and find a way to help. There will be a way to help, even if it may not come from within the organisation.
How has AREU helped members who were recently affected by retrenchment exercises?
For Jurong Country Club (JCC), we managed to get a good package for the retrenchment, as well as some training grants and a year’s union membership. With that as a guideline from our experience with JCC, we will want to try to get a better package for members at Raffles Country Club, but it will depend on the payout the club gets from the Singapore Land Authority.
The moment we heard the news, we went down to be with our members as the news can be difficult to deal with. What we can do as union officials is see where we may be able to help them.
In the fast-changing entertainment space, how can members prepare themselves for the future?
Our members have to continue training. That is something that cannot be ignored, no matter if it is in the same field or a different one, especially when the entertainment industry is constantly progressing. We just have to be prepared. We try to help our members by introducing what’s available at NTUC's e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) or the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (OTCi).
Can you share some tips for young union leaders keen on serving their members?
We need to equip ourselves with knowledge. Whether it is industrial relations knowledge or global current affairs. We also need to have passion. Serving others is not just about recognition because we really need to put in the time. Without that time, it will be very difficult. Members may just come up to you needing help and you will need to be able to spare the time for them and return to your work later.
