NTUC U Care Centre was officially opened on 7 November 2013 at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability. The centre, together with its toll-free hotline, was set-up following feedback that many low-wage workers were unsure of where they could go to or who they could approach to seek help on workplace issues. Many also did not feel safe going to the authorities as they feared losing their jobs or getting their employers in trouble.
Touching low-wage workers’ lives in 2014
Since its opening, the one-stop centre has been dedicated to providing low-wage workers with guidance on workplace issues and opportunities to earn a better living. U Care Centre has provided a safe environment for low-wage workers to seek assistance on work-related issues, as it continues to advocate for better pay, better jobs, and better respect for this vulnerable group.
In its push to uplift wages of low-wage workers, U Care Centre is represented in various tripartite committees to be their voice and champion for their welfare. As a result of these efforts, 35,000 resident cleaners now benefit from higher wages under the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), with licensing coming into force from September this year. 29,000 resident security officers will also benefit from the recently launched PWM for the security industry by September 2016.
In the past year, U Care Centre has engaged 50,000 low-wage workers through 50 outreach events such as roadshows and employment seminars in the heartlands across the island. These events have allowed the U Care Centre to raise awareness amongst more members of the public of the Labour Movement’s helpline specially dedicated for low-wage workers, and served as an additional touch point for workers to seek help.
From these engagements, U Care Centre has assisted 5,500 individuals on a range of work-related issues. Most of them are workers above the age of 40, and have little or no formal education. Besides cleaners, the bulk of them are stall assistants, drivers, factory workers, retail assistants and odd-job workers. Some of them who approached the U Care Centre may not have been victimised; but are just unsure of their statutory entitlements and rights at work.
In its continued efforts to promote better respect and appreciation for low-wage workers, U Care Centre’s ongoing Appreciating U campaign has led to more than 30,000 low-wage workers being appreciated through various ground-up initiatives organised by the government agencies, service buyers, service providers as well as members of the public.
Common issues faced by low-wage workers
From its engagements with low-wage workers, U Care Centre has observed that a majority of them are ill-informed of their rights at work. Some also do not understand their payslips, thus resulting in ignorance on what their entitlements are and what they are missing out on. Common issues faced by low-wage workers include non-payment of salaries, miscalculations in CPF (Central Provident Fund) contributions and unauthorised salary deductions.
Many part-timers in particular approached the U Care Centre with queries on the Employment Act. These queries arose as they were unsure of their statutory benefits such as entitlements on annual leave, medical leave and overtime pay. Some were also unaware of their CPF contribution rights. Other queries received include terms of termination, allocation of rest days and working hours, as well as hospitalisation benefits.
Low-wage workers also sought U Care Centre’s assistance for better job opportunities, including job placements and training opportunities.
More support for low-wage workers
Moving forward, U Care Centre will be introducing various initiatives to raise awareness amongst more low-wage workers of their employment rights, provide more support, and continue to help them lead better lives with better jobs and better pay.
U Care Centre understands that its existing centre in Jurong East may not be as accessible for those living or working in other parts of the island. U Care Centre is therefore proposing to have more presence in the heartlands from next year onwards, in various locations around Singapore. These will provide greater accessibility for workers who may have difficulties travelling to its main centre in Jurong East.
U Care Centre has also attended to a number of cases which required legal expertise. To cater to the needs of workers who require such help, free legal clinics will be organised by U Care Centre for low-wage workers who wish to seek legal advice on employment-related issues. These will be monthly sessions that are expected to commence in the first quarter of 2015.
To transform low-wage worker jobs for the better, U Care Centre will be working with Devan Nair e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and the unions on job re-design projects. These will focus on increasing productivity in targeted sectors, starting with public cleansing and public waste management.
U Care Centre will persist in its efforts to raise the wages of low-wage workers, with landscape technicians next on its agenda. U Care Centre, who is represented in the Tripartite Landscape Cluster (TLC), is in the midst of organising focus group sessions to engage service buyers, service providers and workers in the landscape sector in order to better understand ground concerns and solicit feedback from stakeholders. The members of the TLC are discussing the guidelines, and are targeting to launch the PWM for the landscape sector by the second quarter of 2015.
Mr Zainal Sapari, Assistant Secretary-General, NTUC and Director, NTUC U Care Centre, said, “U Care Centre aims to be a strong and effective voice for low-wage workers in Singapore. Through our outreach initiatives and efforts to be accessible to more low-wage workers, we hope more will be made aware of their employment rights so that they can work and live with peace of mind. At the same time, we will continue to push for better jobs, better pay and better respect for our low-wage workers – all of which are important in helping them lead better lives.”
U Care Centre anniversary celebrations
The NTUC U Care Centre will hold a celebration on Saturday, 27 December 2014, to express its appreciation to its members for sharing about the U Care Centre with their colleagues and friends, thank tripartite partners for supporting its outreach events, and celebrate the achievements of our resilient low-wage workers for their contributions to the workforce.
About 1,000 guests will be present at the event, comprising mostly U Care Centre members and their accompanying guests. They will be treated to a buffet dinner and an indoor “getai” concert held at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability.
# # #
