The collective desire to help workers keep up with the brisk momentum of change in Singapore’s energy and chemicals sector saw the NTUC Oil, Petroleum, Energy and Chemicals (OPEC) Cluster of unions form an alliance with four NTUC U Associates on 26 October 2017.
The four U Associates are the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Singapore, Institution of Engineers Singapore, Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore and Singapore Institution of Safety Officers (SISO).
The alliance will see all parties work together to develop and enhance the professional standards of process technicians and engineers, and improve safety standards.
“The Labour Movement is moving a few steps ahead so that we can ensure our workers are not left behind. OPEC unions working together with NTUC U Associates to leverage each other’s strengths is a win-win collaboration. As a larger collective voice, the alliance will be able to address issues in a more effective manner,” said NTUC OPEC Cluster Chairman K Karthikeyan.
NTUC Assistant Director-General Vivek Kumar added that as Singapore’s economy and workplaces transform, it is critical that the Labour Movement plays a role to effectively assist members to stay future-ready.
Plans Ahead
One of the first items on the agenda will be the development of professional accreditation for process technicians and engineers.
“Thousands of process technicians and engineers will now be able to demonstrate to their peers and employers their experience, judgment and commitment to the profession through an internationally peer reviewed professional qualification framework. This will allow process them to have greater opportunities for career progression within their organisation and throughout the OPEC industries,” said IChemE Singapore Chairman Joe Eades.
Safety is another key area of interest, and the unions and U Associates will be collaborating on talks and workshops to work towards the ideal of zero incidents.
Good to Know:
The NTUC OPEC Cluster consists of seven unions:
• Chemical Industries Employees’ Union (CIEU)
• ExxonMobil Singapore Employees Union (EMSEU)
• Singapore Refining Company Employees’ Union (SRCEU)
• United Workers of Petroleum Industry (UWPI)
• Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE)
• Singapore Shell Employees’ Union (SSEU-SHELL)
• Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees (AUPE)
