Many have heard of IROs, but few know what they really do.
They work very closely with unions and its officials, and even management and human resource partners, to further the cause of providing and protecting the interests of our working people.
IROs work to resolve workplace disputes, assist in negotiations for collective agreements, plan and organise membership activities, and the list goes on.
If you haven't read the first part of this series, click here!
Fun fact: Singapore’s current President Halimah Yacob was a former NTUC IRO.
Story and photo by Ramesh Subbaraman
Kayley Tan, 28, Senior Industrial Relations Officer, Healthcare Services Employees' Union
Growing the union's membership and improving the quality of industrial relations at the workplace are two areas that interest Kayley Tan Khai Ting, a senior industrial relations officer with the Healthcare Services Employees' Union (HSEU).
"The union really needs to focus on building relationships and getting ourselves known to our members, and that is why in the areas of membership retention and awareness, we do a lot of activities at the branch level on the ground right next to the worker to let them know that we are always there," said Kayley.
The CGH Experience
As part of her work, Kayley, 28, visits the Changi General Hospital (CGH) for roadshows and membership recruitment.
"You walk around the premises, you see the members a few times and subsequently they will start smiling at us. And when a particular staff has a workplace issue or needs advice, they will think of us because we are now a familiar face and someone whom they remember," she said.
Such visits also help bring about improvements in the membership recruitment process, said Kayley who shared an experience at CGH.
She had noticed that a staff at a union roadshow was spending a lot of time with data entry when people signed up. Kayley felt there could be a better way of doing things.
"Each time a person comes to sign up for membership, this staff will be doing a lot of manual key in of information. I created an excel sheet for her to just do a scanning of a staff pass, union card or IC and the information gets populated. This helps us to check membership and avoid the whole process of keying in a person's personal information."
Kayley said this has helped reduce the membership team’s workload at CGH and improved productivity and the same work process has been implemented in other hospital branches.
Helping Members Upskill
Kayley also takes a keen interest in ensuring that HSEU members keep up with personal upskilling.
To her, two things are needed for upskilling to be successful – money and time.
“Money is always there. You have your SkillsFuture Credit, you have your UTAP (Union Training Assistance Programme) and you can also apply for scholarships and study grants from the union. The question is you. Are you willing to set aside the time to commit to your future?
“As IROs, it is most rewarding to see that our members still keep their jobs and stay positive in view of the changing environment in the healthcare industry,” shared Kayley.
Story and photo by Shukry Rashid
Alfred Tan, 28, Senior Industrial Relations Officer, Singapore Port Workers Union
Being an IRO was never part of Alfred Tan’s career plans. In fact, before joining NTUC in 2015, he was working as a personal banker after he graduated with an economics degree.
He said: “To be frank, even before I graduated, I have never heard of the IRO role before.”
Not only does Alfred not like to be bound by a typical office job, but he was also looking to contribute to society.
He explained: “After a while, if you feel like the job doesn’t have meaning, then you’ll get tired of the job.”
While on the job hunt after leaving his banking role, he was offered various jobs, including that of a teacher. However, he decided to take the leap of faith when another former IRO recommended him the job.
All in a Day’s Work
For Alfred, no two days are the same working as an IRO – and that is exactly how he likes it. Most times, there are a lot of meetings involved with the union and PSA management. Other than that, he will be supporting Singapore Port Workers Union's (SPWU) leaders with advice, liaising with external stakeholders, and other tasks.
Alfred said that it is exceptionally busy for SPWU this year as the union will be holding its election and renewing is collective agreement with PSA.
He also helps SPWU leaders whenever there is a membership recruitment drive. The union’s membership rate is currently at over 90 per cent.
More Awareness of IROs
Whenever he tells his friends that he is working for NTUC, many would ask if he is with Income or FairPrice.
And because of that, he feels like more people should know what IROs do and their important role.
So now when his friends ask him what he does in NTUC as an IRO, his answer will be: “We represent workers in terms of negotiations with the management regarding their wages, benefits, bonuses. And a lot of times when they have grievances, they can approach us and we’ll negotiate with the management.”
Alfred said that it takes a special kind of person to be an IRO – the person needs to have the patience to work with various people, and tenacity.
“We are dealing with various people, members, management partners. When it comes to dealing with people, there is no one way to do it,” he said.
There is also no such thing as going home at 6pm. He said that even in the middle of the night, his phone might ring or he can receive an email which he must reply fast.
Skills for the Future
With PSA moving to Tuas, the company and SPWU are emphasising a lot on future skills.
Alfred and his fellow IROs regularly engage the management in talking about the future jobs and the skills required.
He added: “They are always keeping us updated on the type of technology they are using, the trials they are doing and the types of workers needed.
“We also have a SkillsFuture committee together with PSA. Together with the management, we are constantly doing things to increase the awareness of skills. This part about SkillsFuture, about training, has become a very big part of an IRO’s job.”
