1 To conclude the year’s social assistance efforts, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has distributed about $3.75 million worth of U Care Back to School vouchers to help 30,000 children of low-income union members prepare for the new school year. Each child who received $125 Back to School vouchers can purchase school-related items from participating retail outlets and authorised suppliers at schools under the Ministry Of Education. The vouchers can also be used at the annual U Care Back to School Fair.
LinkPoints issued at fair for the first time
2 From 10-12 December 2010, a mega Back to School Fair with vendors such as Popular, Bata Shoe, Pacific Bookstores, NTUC FairPrice, Evergreen Stationery, PC Connect and The Point Optical will be held at Toa Payoh Central Amphitheatre (outside Toa Payoh Library). The fair will offer exclusive discounts to all union members and for the first time, it will reward members with LinkPoints (the Labour Movement’s loyalty programme) on their purchases at the fair. Some of the exclusive offers include discounts of up to 20% on all Bata school shoes and discounts of up to 50% off selected assessment and reference books at Popular when they present their membership card at the fair.
$1 million Donation to Bright Horizons Fund
3 At the fair, the U Care Fund also presented a donation of $1 million to the NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund. The fund offers financial assistance for pre-school programmes in My First Skool centres to children of lower-income families. It also funds learning assistance such as the Read-to-REACH literacy programme and the Behaviour Support Programme for children whose families require help in giving them a foundation for primary schooling.
4 For the year 2010, the Labour Movement has disbursed over $8.3 million to lower-income union members and their families through six assistance programmes – U Stretch vouchers, Family Recreation Fun Carnivals, U Care Scholarship/Bursary Top-Up scheme, U Care Back to School vouchers, and donations to NTUC Eldercare Trust and NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund. Please see Annex C for more details on each programme.
|
Programme |
Amt distributed* ($) |
|
U Stretch vouchers ($30 per voucher) |
$1,021,530 |
|
Family Recreation & Fun Carnival ($100 per family package) |
1,020,200 |
|
U Care Scholarship/Bursary Top-Up scheme |
561,495 |
|
Back to School vouchers ($125 per voucher) |
3,750,000 |
|
Donation to NTUC Eldercare Trust |
$1,000,000 |
|
Donation to NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund |
$1,000,000 |
|
Total |
$8,353,225 |
*Figures as of 30 November 2010
5 In addition to the $561,495 U Care Scholarship/Bursary Top-Up scheme which supports unions to give more educational assistance to children of lower-income members, NTUC-affiliated unions also distributed an additional $1 million worth of bursaries and scholarships to support their members’ children.
6 NTUC Care and Share Director, Mr. Zainudin Nordin said, “Singapore was one of the fastest economy in the world to emerge from the recent downturn. The usage of the assistance programmes also reflect the improved economy and recovering job market. This year, the U Care Fund distributed about 64,000 vouchers, 6,800 scholarships and bursaries, and 10,200 recreation packages to union members and their families. We will continue to assess on-going programmes to ensure that the Labour Movement remains relevant to our members’ needs in 2011.”
7 Union member Shahiful Bahri Bin Abdullah who is a technician, age 43, from the United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) received a total of $705 from the U Care Fund this year. He said, “With three school-going children and my wife who is not working, I am grateful for any assistance given to me and my family. Out of $705, over $500 worth of assistance goes to my children’s education. With such support, I have more flexibility with my overall family expenses and my burden is also lighter.” Mr Shahiful had received $375 Back to School vouchers, $200 scholarship for his child, $30 U Stretch vouchers, and a $100 family package at the Family Recreation Fun Carnival.
8 The roll-out of all U Care Fund programmes was strongly supported by contributions from NTUC-affiliated unions and an association, the Singapore Labour Foundation, NTUC social enterprises such as NTUC FairPrice Foundation, NTUC Income and NTUC Choice Homes, and corporate donors such as ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, CapitaLand Hope Foundation and The Singapore Buddhist Lodge.
Annex C
About U Care Back to School Programme 2010
Started in 2005, the U Care Back to School Programme aims to help lower-income union members meet expenses of their school-going children at the start of the new school year. Students can use the $125 U Care Back to School vouchers for items such as textbooks, stationery and school shoes at the Back to School fair from 10-12 December. After the fair, students can continue to purchase these items from participating retail outlets and schools under the Ministry of Education. The vouchers are valid till 15 February 2011.
About U Stretch vouchers 2010
The U Stretch vouchers are discount vouchers that allow low-income union members to maximise their daily expenditure and help ease their cost of living. Each successful applicant will receive a booklet of 12 vouchers worth $30. Each voucher is a 50% discount off a minimum of $5 purchase from 6 NTUC Social Enterprises - NTUC Club, NTUC Eldercare, NTUC FairPrice, NTUC Foodfare, NTUC Healthcare and NTUC Link. These vouchers will expire on 15 February 2011.
About Scholarship/Bursary Topp-Up Scheme 2010
Traditionally, unions have been giving out scholarships and bursaries awards to their members' children. To support unions to either give more per child or to reach out to more children, this top-up scheme allows the Labour Movement to double its efforts in supporting children of lower-income members.
About Family Recreation Fun Carnival (FRF) 2010/2011
The NTUC Club Family Recreation Fun Carnival is an initiative to enable low-income union members and their families to achieve better work and family life balance. Union members of household income of less than $2,500 or per capita income of not more than $500 are eligible to participate in the carnivals, where they can enjoy a day at Downtown East with free recreational activities, food vouchers and free transportation from selected MRT stations. In 2010/2011, six runs for FRF carnivals will be held to benefit more members.
Donation to NTUC Eldercare Trust 2010
The U Care Fund has donated $1 milion to the NTUC Eldercare Trust this year. The Trust’s objective is to establish, support and promote the material, emotional, psychological and physical welfare of the elderly through its community-based facilities and operations as well as keeping its services affordable. About 50-60% of the $1 million this year will go towards enhancing NTUC Eldercare’s current day care and Care@home services, while the remaining 40-50% will go towards subsidising part of the day care fees, making it affordable for middle-lower income families who enroll their seniors in the day care programmes.
Donation to NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund
The U Care Fund has donated $1 million to the NTUC First Campus Bright Horizons Fund this year. The fund offers financial assistance for pre-school programmes in My First Skool centres to children of lower-income families. It also funds learning assistance such as the Read-to-REACH literacy programme and the Behaviour Support Programme for children whose families require help in giving them a foundation for primary schooling.
