NTUC Remains Committed to Supporting Women in the Workplace

Some 100 union leaders from various sectors took part in a dialogue session organised by NTUC’s Women and Family Unit (WAF) on 12 November 2020.

It was hosted by NTUC’s Women and Family Unit Director Yeo Wan Ling and attended by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng and Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling.

The dialogue session was the first of four dialogue sessions planned by NTUC as part of the “Conversations On Singapore Women’s Development” series, an initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

In his opening address to attendees, Mr Ng suggested a two-pronged approach to tackling women’s workplace issues.

“One is the policy thinking of changing the macros in our country, in our organisations to promote the welfare of women in the workplace. But importantly, let us as unions also start the groundwork to relieve our females, our sisters, of some of the challenges they face at the workplace. We can do it concurrently,” he said.

Impact of COVID-19 on Women Workers

The series will see participants from the industrial, services, banking, supply chain, maritime and education sectors discuss:

• the impact of COVID-19 on jobs and livelihoods
• how workplaces, careers and livelihoods can be re-designed to enable women to better thrive in a post-COVID world
• how to better support women’s ability to exercise real choices based on their preferred career pathways and caregiving arrangements

Feedback and recommendations from these dialogue sessions will be submitted to the Government by the first half of 2021.

“Ultimately, we want to enhance workplace practices and policies and build support systems that will empower women to make career choices that work for the different stages of life they are in,” said Ms Yeo.

NTUC will also tap on the insights gleaned from these discussions to identify areas of support to strengthen women’s employment and employability further.

Ms Low remarked: “As we review, recalibrate, or even redesign current practices to improve women's development and opportunities at work, we must be prepared for change and adjustment.

“With collective action, we can certainly dislodge practices that hinder women's development and free up our society for greater progress.”