Our Guests-of-Honour today: the Cleaners of Singapore,
NTUC Secretary General, Brother Lim Swee Say,
President of BATU, Brother Nasordin Bin Mohd Hashim,
Management Partners,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Brothers and Sisters,
A very good evening to all of you.
Importance of Showing Recognition
Please allow me to start off by sharing with you a short story. On a usual morning in Washington DC, a man stood in a metro station and started playing his violin. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped to listen and when he finished, nobody clapped and he received no recognition.
Two days before playing in the metro, this very same man held a sell-out concert, with each ticket priced at an average of $100. His name is Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. This little experiment was captured on video and it shocked thousands of people. Some were amazed as to why he was not recognized, while others wondered why nobody stopped to appreciate the world- class music that was being played.
This is a real story and unfortunately, we can see a similar trend in Singapore, where many of us do not stop to appreciate the people who are working hard to make our quality of life better. We live in a clean, safe and green Singapore which is often taken for granted. In particular, our cleaners, landscape technicians and security officers are often overlooked and undervalued. Good companies and individuals who are “Better Customers” or “Better Employers” are also not given enough recognition for valuing and treating their workers “Better”.
Recognition through “Appreciating U” Awards
NTUC would like to recognize role models amongst us- be it “Better Workers”, “Better Leaders”, “Better Companies” or “Better Customers”. These include cleaners who have been exemplary in their work as well as service buyers, service providers and individuals who have shown that they value and recognize their cleaners.
As shared by Brother Lim Swee Say in his May Day message, let us not wait for each other. We have to be the first to change and strive towards a nation of better customers and better people.
Role Models Amongst Us (Better Customers)
Let me give you an example of someone who went above and beyond to ensure the welfare of our cleaners. Ms. Lim Yam Eng shares the workplace with Mdm Yeo Ah Moi, a cleaner working at UPS Singapore Pte Ltd. When she found out that Mdm Yeo was not feeling well, she took the initiative to drive Mdm Yeo to see a doctor. She even accompanied Mdm Yeo throughout the doctor’s visit to ensure that Mdm Yeo will be OK.
Thank you, Ms. Lim!
There are others, like Ms. Lim, who demonstrated the spirit of the Labour Movement in caring for our fellow workers, regardless of what job they are in. These “Better Customers” have some things in common. All of them greet their cleaners with smiles EVERY DAY, without fail. Through their daily interactions with the cleaners, they make their cleaners feel acknowledged and respected. I believe that many of us can do the same. As we give out these “Better Customer” Awards to individuals who have been role models, let us strive to be better customers not just through our interactions with the cleaners, but also through being considerate users of our public spaces.
Better Workers and Leaders
Our cleaners do not have an easy job. Tonight’s award ceremony also aims to recognize the workers and leaders who have exhibited work values worth emulating. Mr. Omar Bin Sibli is one of them. Mr. Omar joined Horsburgh Engineering (F.E.) PTE LTD as a manual service road sweeper. Through skills upgrading, he is now able to operate a Ride-on Sweeper and even shares his knowledge with others. Miss Zakariah, who nominated Mr. Omar, shared with us that Mr. Omar even goes to work much earlier than his working hours just to ensure that everything is order to start the day. Well done, Mr. Omar!
We also received touching tributes to cleaners, such as Mr. Mohd Latiff Bin Leman, a team leader who has received commendations from both his team and the staff of Manjusri Secondary School. In the years serving the people in the school, Mr. Latiff has never been late or taken any sick leave. As a leader, he has always been fair to his team when scheduling them for extra work to ensure his team members all earn the extra wages. When he and his wife heard about the school’s Youth Expedition Project to help poor families in Cambodia, they selflessly donated $200 cash towards the project (even though this is a substantial amount to them). Mr. Lai Sow Hung, Operations Manager of the school, said this, “We, in Singapore, must celebrate this behavior and attitude.”
Thank you, Mr. Latiff, for being such an inspiration!
In fact, all our award recipients tonight have touching stories of their own to tell.
Better Company
Tonight, I would also like to commend the companies and organizations that have shown appreciation to their workers through various ways. In this month’s “Appreciating U- our cleaners” movement, more than 10,000 cleaners have been appreciated through ground-up events initiated by both service buyers and service providers of cleaning services.
Appreciation comes not just through these events. The companies nominated for the “Better Company” Award tonight truly deserved a pat on their back for the relentless effort to recognise their cleaners for their hard work! These companies sincerely have the workers’ interests at heart, they gave workers opportunities to train and upgrade their skills, worked with their buyers or providers to pay workers according to the Progressive Wage Model. Their efforts are not just worth highlighting but created a win-win situation for themselves too as “Better Employers” can attract and retain “Better Workers” who will in turn provide better services to their customers.
NTUC hopes that this award can encourage more companies to become “Better Employers”.
Update on Licensing
Come 1st September, the cleaning industry will undergo a major transformation because of licensing that promises our cleaners better wages that commensurate with their skills, productivity and job responsibilities. With this licensing, we hope that it will make everyone in this industry “Better Employers”, “Better Customers”, “Better Workers” & “Better Leaders”.
Conclusion
Tonight is a special night for all of us to celebrate. The Appreciating U movement is a small step initiated by the Labour Movement, but it is a big step for Singapore to move towards a better society where workers, companies and customers respect and value each other.
I sincerely hope that you will have a great time at our dinner tonight and enjoy this special appreciation dedicated to you.
Thank you!
