After operating for 41 years in western Singapore, Jurong Country Club (JCC) closed its doors on 31 December 2016 to make way for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Railway project.
On 21 December 2016, JCC management and the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (AREU) held a joint appreciation event where each of the 90 retrenched staff received a commemorative plaque, NTUC FairPrice Vouchers and a certificate of recognition from the club.
Help for the retrenched
In July 2016, both the union and management briefed them on the compensation package that they will receive.
As part of the package, workers were also given a $1500 training grant to attend courses to keep their skills relevant.
“I used the money to upgrade myself by taking up courses to improve my golf handicap. I have now found a job with Warren Golf Club after I made enquiries during a job fair that was held at JCC in October 2016,” said JCC’s former Golf Marshall Muhammad Faizal Seniman.
Former Lifestyle Supervisor Maya Razali, 28, will be joining a marine engineering company as a receptionist in the middle of January 2017. She has been using the training grant to improve her IT skills.
“It is not just the money but the kind gesture that the company has extended to us. Yes, it is sad that the club has to close and we all have to go, but let us look at the brighter side and move on,” said Maya, who has been with JCC for 10 years.
Close union-management ties
As part of the collective agreement, workers also received retrenchment benefits of one month per year of service, capped at up to 25 years.
“We have been fair to them. For those who were age 62 and above, we also added some sweeteners. The staff have done an excellent job and I am proud of them,” said JCC’s President Bobby Wee.
On union-management relations, AREU Executive Secretary Desmond Choo added: “The beautiful part is that our relationship has actually grown. We built trust along the way. It wasn’t easy when we first started negotiating the compensation package. Today, we are doing a joint appreciation for the staff.”
AREU also assured the workers that the union’s work would not end on 31 December 2016.
“We will continue to follow up with the workers individually to map out their training needs and future job requirements. We have also activated our own union network of management partners to hire some of these displaced workers from JCC,” said Mr Choo.
Source: NTUC This Week
