Raffles Hospital has now become the first private hospital to give recognition to the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU).
The hospital will see some six in 10 workers benefit from workplace representation. This translates to a total of about 500 workers, including nurses, allied health staff, as well as ancillary and administrative staff.
The union will represent both rank-and-file workers and professionals, managers and executives.
HSEU and Raffles Hospital made the union recognition official with a signing of a memorandum of understanding on 11 November 2019.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay witnessed the signing.
In a joint media release, Raffles Hospital and HSEU said that the collaboration will help the union make inroads into the private hospital sector with “the aim to help healthcare workers secure better wages, better welfare and better work prospects.”
The hospital has also agreed to pay union membership fees for its employees. As a show of commitment to its employees’ welfare, the hospital will also give $5,000 towards staff engagement activities.
“Today’s signing is very significant for all of us in HSEU. We are truly delighted that Raffles Hospital has acknowledged the union as a valued partner and has joined hands with us to better the lives and livelihoods of its workers. As the voice for all workers in the healthcare sector, we look forward to working closely with management to bring about win-win-win outcomes for our workers, the organisation and the healthcare industry at large,” said HSEU President K Thanaletchimi.
The first order of things after the agreement would be to set up a branch committee, according to HSEU.
The committee will be set up by Raffles Hospital union members and will act as an additional platform to discuss workplace issues with the hospital’s management.
HSEU and Raffles Hospital will also work together to identify ways to upskill and reskill hospital workers to become Worker 4.0. These include addressing skills gaps and training needs and developing programmes to help existing and new workers with industry changes.
“At Raffles Hospital, our employees play a key role in providing the best care for our patients. This collaboration with HSEU will allow our employees to stay ahead and remain relevant with ongoing industry transformation. We are committed to building a future-ready workforce together with our employees, to enable us to be the trusted partner for health for our patients and stakeholders,” said Raffles Medical Group Executive Chairman Loo Choon Yong.
In partnership with the Healthcare Academy, HSEU has already set up company training committees (CTC) with public hospitals such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National University Health System, and social enterprises such as NTUC Health.
