The Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (OTCi) just had its annual graduation ceremony on 8 December 2018. Held at Singapore University of Social Sciences’ Performing Arts Theatre, the event saw some 90 graduates from various courses with their loved ones.
We speak to two unionists who have received achievement awards for their outstanding performance.
Syed Usman Shah, 36, received the Nithiah Nandan Award for achieving top results for his cohort in the ACIR-ED module.
Senior Customer Service Officer Usman has been with Singapore Airlines for 11 years. His duty involves solving last minute ticketing issues at the airport.
He joined the Singapore Airlines Staff Union (SIASU) three years ago and is now serving as a branch committee member.
What are your takeaways from the course?
The course exceeded my expectations. It gives you time to understand the lessons without rushing. It was also good to meet classmates from different unions. Trainers were outstanding and kept us engaged.
There is more to being a unionist than just representing members. You have to run the union properly with proper financial management. I learned how important it is to know your company's financial report and picked up quite a bit of negotiation techniques.
The course provided greater clarity in employment policies, which will help me to better handle staff issues. For example, we recently had some changes in the Employment Act. I had to brief some of the staff what the changes meant and why the changes are needed.
Why are courses and training important for workers in your industry?
The world is changing fast. We need to catch up before we are left behind. Skills that we have today may not be relevant in the future, so it is key for us to upgrade continuously, be multi-skilled, and gain more knowledge.
Case-in-point, our company is undergoing a three-year transformation. They asked all of us to relook at our processes, and see how we can cut down steps, paperwork, time and money. Another main thing is the integration of data analytics and data management into our work process to raise efficiency. There are also a lot of technologies, such as customer self-check-in and self-boarding, coming in.
Since 2013, 37-year-old Tan Hui Hui has been working in the National Institute of Education as a finance officer. Her job involves handling procurement and preparing calls for tender.
She was also the chairman for Young Education Services Union (ESU) up till recently when she joined ESU’s Executive Council as a member. Hui Hui was awarded the Seah Mui Kok Award for being the top performer in DER.
What are your takeaways from the course?
I joined the union without much background on the founding of unions and tripartism. The course meets my objectives to learn more about their history and significance. There were many case studies shared during the class. I learned the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the management. It will help the union, the members and even myself at work. The course has modules like financial accounting, which are related to my job and act as a good refresher for me.
Why are courses and training important for workers in your industry?
Technology changes very quickly, so if workers do not upskill, they will not be able to catch up with the basic requirements of their jobs.
For example, students do not need to come to school nowadays as off-site teaching is currently so popular that they can access lectures via a link. So, if a lecturer does not know how to use this technology, the student will not be interested to attend his lecture. Soon or later, the lecturer will be out of job.
