The Labour Movement's care and share efforts crosses the $13 million mark
8 October 2008
MEDIA RELEASE
1 This year, the Labour Movement plans to do even more for union members as the global economy outlook become increasingly uncertain. As the going gets tough for more Singaporeans, the Labour Movement has been doing its best to lighten the burden of union members arising from higher inflationary pressures.
2 Responding to the slowing economy this year, the Labour Movement has decided to increase its Care and Share efforts to $13.1 million to help advance the welfare of union members, compared to $7.1 million last year. These funds have resulted in several programmes such as the U Stretch vouchers and NTUC Club Family Recreational Fund vouchers to aid union members. The unions too, have done their part and given out $1,148,000 worth of scholarship and bursaries to their needy members’ school-going children. Please see Annex A for an explanation of these programmes.
Caring for U where help is needed most – Transport, Utility, Education
3 Also, in light of the recent spikes in transport and utility charges, the Labour Movement will channel the bulk of its funds to two major programmes to respond to our members’ needs and help them tide through this challenging period. Out of the $13.1 million, 76% of the funds will be directed to the Labour Movement’s Back to School Programme and the U Stretch Programme. Both programmes have been expanded to increase their quantum and coverage to reach out to more members. While the Back to School Programme plans to double its funding for 2008, the U Stretch Programme’s budget will be increased to include transport and utility subsidies. For the very first time, those who are eligible will have the flexibility to choose to receive either the transport or utility voucher. The eligibility criteria for this scheme will also be adjusted so that more members can benefit this year. More details will be revealed at a later date.
Labour Movement Charity Dinner 2008
4 The Labour Movement is also relentless in its efforts to raise funds for those in need. For the third year running, the Labour Movement Charity Dinner will be held on 9 October 2008, which will see 900 guests gracing the event. Last year, a total of $1,057,300 was raised through the Charity Dinner 2007 ($813,800) and Charity Golf 2007 ($243,500) for beneficiaries NTUC Childcare and NTUC ElderCare. This year, $1,261,500 has been raised so far from both the Charity Dinner 2008 ($950,000) and Charity Golf 2008 ($311,500). This is already about 20% more than last year.
5 Not in order of merit, the top three donors of the Charity Dinner 2008 are – AUPE Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd, ComfortDelgro and Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF). Similarly, the funds this year will go towards the NTUC Childcare Bright Horizon Trust Fund to provide heavily subsidised childcare services for lower-income families, as well as NTUC ElderCare to provide more affordable services such as its day-care, home-care and wellness programmes. As a gesture of appreciation, elderly folks from NTUC ElderCare will perform an instrumental piece, while children from NTUC Childcare will create handcrafted heart-shaped bookmarks for the dinner guests.
Moving Forward
6 For the last quarter of 2008, NTUC will also be actively administering its various assistance programmes for the lower-income members. The Back to School Programme which will benefit children of lower-income members will be held in December. In the same month, the Labour Movement, including unions and social enterprises, will also engage in community work to care for residents in their respective adopted homes during the Care and Share Month.
Mr Zainudin Nordin
Director
Care and Share
National Trades Union Congress
APPENDIX A
NTUC Back To School Vouchers
The NTUC Back to School programme aims to help lower-income union members meet the expenses of their children at the start of the new school year. Union members with school-going children, and who meet the income criteria can use Back to School vouchers to purchase textbooks, shoes, uniforms and other items from authorised suppliers and participating retail outlets in preparation for a new school term.
Family Recreation Fund Voucher
The $1 million Family Recreation FUNd Voucher scheme by NTUC Club allows lower-income union members and their families to enjoy recreational facilities at NTUC Club, including theme parks and chalets. This year, NTUC Club provided a full packaged day-out, including free two-way transportation at designated locations so that they could enjoy their weekend without the additional cost that usually accompanies a family outing.
NTUC U Stretch Vouchers
To help union members and their families partially defray the higher cost of living, NTUC distributed $4 million worth of NTUC “U Stretch” vouchers to 80,000 rank-and-file workers from 1 May 2008. The vouchers enable union members to stretch their hard-earned dollar and in part restore their reduced purchasing power due to higher inflation. Each eligible member will enjoy a discount of up to 20% on purchases/services at participating social enterprises till December 2008.
