There is not a single day in the Labour Movement without someone talking about productivity and the need to for workers to stay relevant with skills needed for their industries.
We know what you must be thinking…What are the grants and schemes available to help your management partners improve their work processes and make their workers more efficient and effective at work?
Did you know that the Labour Movement (LM) has got its very own Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP) for this very purpose?
It is administered by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) in partnership with several government agencies.
Let us tell you more about it so that you can share the details with your management partners and encourage them to tap on the programme.
What Is IGP?
Started in 2010, IGP provides funding to help companies to kickstart productivity projects.
It also ensures that companies share the productivity gains with workers through higher wages. We think this will go a long way to raise the wages of your members, don’t you?
How much funding can a company get under IGP?
The company can receive up to $1 million over two years. The company can tap on the funds to do multiple projects in that period, capped at $300,000 per project.
The money can be used to fund up to 50 per cent of productivity improvement costs.
With nearly 3,200 successful productivity improvement projects to date, your management partner can’t go wrong.
What can IGP be used for?
The money can be used for three areas: automation and equipment cost, process re-engineering and job redesign, and training local workers.
Who Is eligible?
Your management partner just needs to be registered as a business, society or association under the Business Registration Act.
How to apply?
Contact an e2i Industry Specialist at the following website: http://e2i.com.sg/businesses/inclusive-g... or call e2i at 6474 0606.
Success Story
A management partner from the Union of Security Employees(USE) tapped on IGP and here are the results.
Dragnet Smartech Security Pte Ltd
Challenge: Residential sites typically require two day and two night officers to be stationed at the guard house to perform basic duties like visitor and vehicle registration, and to monitor fire alarm panels should an emergency occur on site.
Solutions: Dragnet’s site automation solution is accompanied with a central command centre integrated with remote CCTV surveillance with nameplate and facial recognition. The barrier system, intercom as well as fire alarm panel is remotely connected to the central command centre. Incoming visitors will be remotely verified by the controller at the command centre via CCTV before the barriers are activated to grant visitors’ access. Controllers at command centre are also able to remotely monitor the situation on site through the CCTV.
Original Target: To implement the solution to two residential sites and to reduce manpower deployment to one day and one night officer per site with controllers stationed at the command centre who can support more than one site at one time.
Outcomes: Dragnet has since implemented the above solution to five residential sites and even successfully converted one of the residential sites to a completely officer-less site. The remaining four sites have fewer officers stationed on site and some have even done away with night officers. There were also basic wage increases of 12.6 per cent for six local security officers and this was possible because of the cost savings from the productivity solutions.
Additional plans: With reduced reliance on manpower, Dragnet is also trying to move more security workers onto eight-hour shifts. Currently, approximately 15 per cent of its workforce are on eight-hour shifts and feedback has been positive.
Additionally, Dragnet has been working to incorporate more security systems to complete their guarding services. This includes the piloting of autonomous drone patrol to replicate foot patrol/clocking done by guards with an industrial service buyer.
(Photo Credit: Dragnet Smartech Security Pte Ltd)
