With the increasing number of mature workers at the workplace, the Labour Movement has been upping its efforts to improve their lives.
NTUC’s dedicated departments for mature workers, U Live (for active ageing under NTUC Club) and U Live @ Work, have implemented various initiatives to improve the lives of seniors – no matter if they are still working, semi-retired or retired.
Unions also play a vital role in voicing the concerns and representing mature workers. Thanks to collaborative approach between unions and management, mature workers are now working longer.
By adopting initiatives such as the Inclusive Growth Programme by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and WorkPro, both companies and mature workers are reaping the rewards of better productivity and simpler work processes (to read more, click here).
The Labour Movement is also rendering assistance and enriching the lives of the mature workers, not only at the workplace but also when they are out of a job, working part-time or retired (to read more, click here).
67 and More
The new re-employment age of 67 may have been enforced on 1 July 2017, but much work has been done by the Labour Movement to make it possible. Even before the amendment, unions have been working with management partners to ensure that mature workers remain employed for as long as they can, and want to.
In a recent blog post, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How said: “In August 2016, the percentage of unionised companies surveyed which were clearly ready to re-employ to at least age 67 was about 75 per cent.
“This figure has gone up to 90 per cent in the latest survey. The remaining 10 per cent are basically those whose workforces are relatively young and would not require re-employment in the near future.”
WorkPro is another initiative for companies to enable its mature workers by redesigning jobs and implementing age-friendly practices.
U Live @ Work Department Director James Tan said: “WorkPro, specifically the Job Redesign Grant, helps to catalyse the efforts of re-employing mature workers at the companies. Employers who are looking to redesign their workplace and processes to be more age-friendly will get funding assistance to make this a reality.
“We are happy that to date, more applications have come in from companies to tap on this grant. It shows that companies are keen to tap on the experience of the growing pool of mature workers and that they are seen as assets.”
Moving Forward
In the area of re-employment, Mr Tan said that his department will continue to engage the ground to raise awareness on the changes in the law and guidelines. They will also continue assisting unions and partners to address issues related to re-employment.
To prepare mature workers for the longer employment runway, U Live @ Work will promote workplace safety and health for mature workers.
Finally, the department also plans to complement efforts by the Labour Movement to encourage and enable mature members to pursue continuous skills upgrading and adaptation within the same or different job types or industries.
