When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
This pretty much sums up how Nur Faeza Mohamed Kefli approaches her job.
As a senior industrial relations officer (IRO) at NTUC, Faeza spends her time fighting for the rights of members of the Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU).
The job entails helping workers with issues they are facing at the workplace and negotiating with unionised companies to protect workers’ rights through a collective agreement.
Like every job, being an IRO has its fair share of challenges, said Faeza, who handles 31 branches.
The 29-year-old truly appreciates the autonomy given to IROs to work with the various companies under their care, even though it was initially intimidating.
“I didn’t realise how tough or rough the onboarding would be. If you’re coming into a negotiation, you can’t enter the room unprepared. You have to have that knowledge [of industrial relations]. You’re confronting an opposing party who is very ready to shush you,” she explained.
It has been rather challenging to get the best deal for workers when negotiating with their companies. While Faeza understands that workers may have reasons for wanting certain things, she has to weigh it against what the company can do.
She explained: “It’s tough sometimes to acknowledge that even if you want to secure the most for them, my definition of the best outcome and their definition of the best outcome might be very different.
“But I guess if they’re deep in that ‘drama of grievance’, they fail to realise that there are certain legislations that might be limiting their scenario.”
This leads to another problem – dealing with the emotional fallout that comes with making life-changing decisions that impact livelihoods. These decisions have affected her on a visceral level, said Faeza, who describes herself as an “emotional person”.
She elaborated: “Sometimes you have to be the bearer of bad news. That’s how they [the workers] see us. We will then have to think of how to convince them so that we can accept the best possible [deal] because emotions might be very high on their part.
“It took a lot of self-dialogue [on my part], like ‘You did your best; if they are not convinced of it even after multiple attempts of explaining to them, then that’s on them.’”
Despite the challenges, Faeza’s love for the job has grown since she joined NTUC a little over four years ago. It is this burning passion to help workers that keeps her going.
She explained: “At the end of the day, when I get to resolve cases, there’s a part of [me] that, for selfish reasons, I feel very competent. But at the same time, knowing that you help someone is easier and makes me feel good.
“This job opens me up to new experiences…The part about having to transform or re-evaluate gets tiring, but I see the positive in it because I always become a better version of myself.”
Becoming an IRO has also helped Faeza grow on a personal level. She has become more vocal and outspoken as the years pass.
“When I find that it’s time for me to speak up, I speak comfortably,” she shared.
In the course of her work, the senior IRO often finds herself working with people from all walks of life ― from rank-and-file workers and executives to ‘Uncle’ type bosses of local small- and medium-enterprises and expatriate management of larger corporations.
This, she shared, has widened her horizons and enriched her life experiences.
“What I enjoy about meeting people of different backgrounds is building relationships with people. If not for the job, my perspectives will be very narrow,” said Faeza.
The knowledge she has acquired over the years has also enriched her personally.
For example, Faeza learnt how to use the National Wages Council guidelines as a basis for negotiating wage settlements or agreements ― something she would not have been exposed to had she not been an IRO.
Today, she is the go-to person among her friends and peers for work and career-related matters.
Faeza is one of the IROs featured in the #EveryWorkerMatters Roving Booth that is making its way around Singapore. It is part of the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations, a larger-scale series of engagements by the Labour Movement to engage all workers across various life stages.
To catch the next roving booth, visit conversations.ntuc.sg/activities.
To participate in the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations, visit conversations.ntuc.sg.
