NTUC welcomes 500,000 members and more!

NTUC welcomes 500,000 members and more!

5 September 2007

Media Release

1. It was an evening of fun and excitement as the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the NTUC affiliated unions and associations, related organisations and partners celebrated the achievement of the 500,000 membership milestone.  Guest-of-Honour for the evening, NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say, surprised union leaders, members and partners when he and six other recently recruited union members burst through a white screen on stage to reveal the number “500,000” signifying an important milestone achieved by NTUC.  Mr Lim wore a red T-Shirt with a “,” while six other union members wore the number “5” and “0” forming the 500,000 figure.  

2. SG Lim Swee Say said, “This is an important milestone as we celebrate the achievement of half a million union members.  It reinforces the need for NTUC, its affiliated unions and associations to constantly innovate to remain relevant to the needs of working people not just at the workplace, but how we can extend beyond the workplace.  We will strive to provide greater holistic support for our members and their families so that they can have a better work-life balance. Such a significant milestone would not have been achievable if not for the collective effort from our affiliated unions and associations, and strong support of key partners.”

3. In August 2006, the NTUC announced its “Labour Movement 2011” vision.  Riding the momentum of strong economic growth and job creation in 2006, the NTUC had called upon union leaders and tripartite partners to work together to be an inclusive and relevant movement that reaches out to working people of all collars, all ages and all nationalities.  Whilst we continue to serve the needs of blue and white collar workers, the NTUC has also been reaching out to Gold Collar (Professionals), Silver Collar (Older Workers) and No Collar (Contract/Casual) workers. (Refer to Annex 1 for details).  

4. In line with this, the NTUC and its affiliated unions/associations have had to constantly innovate and adapt to stay relevant to the changing workplace.  In 1992, the NTUC introduced the General Branch membership and reached out to workers in companies which have not yet formed a partnership with the union.  The NTUC also pioneered the concept of seamless membership in 1999, which allowed members to continue their membership when they change jobs.   More recently, the NTUC and its affiliated unions embarked on a series of membership recruitment campaigns as it strived to reach out to serve more working people and their families.   While union membership is generally on the decline globally, the NTUC has had a strong increase in union membership over the years (Refer to Annex 2 for details).  This would not have been possible if not for the collective effort from all 63 NTUC affiliated unions, six taxi associations and strong support from strategic partners such as ExxonMobil, OCBC Bank, SBS Transit and Shaw Organisation.   As a result, this combined effort has translated into an average of more than 6,000 new members recruited per month.  

5. A Membership Marketing Campaign launched in May 2007 also helped to create even higher awareness on the workplace and social benefits for NTUC members.  NTUC and its affiliated unions and associations successfully recruited a whopping 26,000 members in a short span of three months reaching the 500,000 membership milestone in August 2007.

6. A key benefit that NTUC members continue to enjoy are workplace benefits such as dispute resolutions with management, collective agreements/bargaining for better wages, workplace benefits and skills upgrading.  In 2006, NTUC and its affiliated unions handled over 2500 industrial relations cases.  

7. Beside workplace benefits, members also enjoy a host of social benefits provided by the NTUC family.   To cater to the diverse social needs of our members, three interest groups, i.e. a motoring club – U Drive, a movie club – U Movie and a health club – U Wellness, were set up recently.  NTUC members who utilise the services of the NTUC family could enjoy lots of savings.  These include savings on groceries shopping, training courses, movies, chalets and even motorist petrol.  A member could save up to $4000 per year (Refer to Annex 3) while enjoying the various workplace and social benefits provided by the NTUC family.  This is on top of the workplace advice and representation that members enjoy.   

8. Mr Tan Hoon San, member of Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) for the past 40 years said, “I am very happy to be a union member.  Not only do I enjoy a lot of social benefits such as discounts and rebates while shopping and affordable recreational facilities, I am also protected at the workplace by my union who fight for the interest of all our workers.“ 

9. Looking ahead, the NTUC must continue to innovate and change, in tandem with the changing needs and aspirations of working people in Singapore.  This on-going renewal will allow the labour movement to continue to serve the needs of more working people as we strive to achieve a better and more meaningful life in the areas of work, live and play.

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Annex 1

Membership Profiles

Chart 1a: By Age Group

Chart 1b: By Nationalities

Annex 2

Chart 2 : NTUC Membership Growth Rate

Annex 3

Savings of up to $4,000 or more a year enjoyed by members ….

About National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions of workers in the industrial, service and public sectors representing about 500,000 workers in Singapore.  It has 63 affiliated trade unions and six associations, as well as 12 social enterprises and three related organisations.  NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of workers; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement.