Towards a stronger and more inclusive Labour Movement
3 November 2007
Media Release
LM2011 Vision
1. In August 2006, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) developed the “Labour Movement 2011” vision. This vision seeks to build an inclusive and relevant movement that reaches out to working people of all collars, all ages and all nationalities. The labour movement has set its sights to reach out to 500,000 members by 2007, 650,000 members by 2011 and 1 million members by 2015.
3R Strategy
2. In August 2007, the total union membership exceeded the milestone half-million mark, thanks to an intensive membership campaign launched in May 2007. The recently held National Delegates’ Conference (NDC) that concluded on 31 October 2007 has reinforced the need to create a strong and inclusive labour movement that helps members achieve a better and more meaningful life in the areas of work, live and play. As such, the NTUC has formulated a 3R Membership strategy in its bid to strengthen the labour movement as it reaches out to 1 million members by 2015. The 3R strategy, which was shared by Member-Centric Director Mr Yeo Khee Leng, at a press briefing on 2 November 07, refers to Recruitment, Retention and Relationships. This 3R strategy will see the labour movement taking a more holistic approach towards membership recruitment and retention and strengthen bonds amongst all members.
1st R – Recruitment strategy
3. Membership Recruitment, the first R, will continue to be the key activity undertaken by the labour movement to reach out to more working people. Union density in Singapore is about 25%, i.e. one in four working persons is a union member, compared to countries such as Sweden where the unionisation density is as high as 4 out of 5 working persons. Recruitment drives will continue to intensify with the affiliated unions and associate affiliates stepping up their efforts to attract more working people to join as Ordinary Branch (OB) members at the company level. An example of the many unions that supported the recruitment efforts relentlessly during the recent campaign was the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI). UWEEI recruited about 3,000 Ordinary Branch Members in the last three months. For those who are working in a non-unionised companies, they will be recruited as General Branch (GB) members while those who are not rank and file workers may also join the unions as GB members on an individual basis.
4. To further fuel the drive towards 1 million members, the NTUC has also adopted a new and complementary recruitment strategy known as the Profession Based (PB) approach. This strategy targets at professional associations to recruit the relatively untapped base of professionals working in Singapore. The Institute of Engineers and the Institute of Estate Agents were the first two professional bodies to be offered the NTUC Associate Membership Programme for their members. To date, close to 8000 of these professionals have joined NTUC as associate members.
5. Besides reaching out to working people, NTUC is also tapping into the non-working group as it reaches out to members of all ages. The NTUC Club launched a youth club recently, called nEbO, to reach out to non-working youths age 12 to 21. These are the future working people in Singapore and early engagement with them by NTUC through the Club’s activities serve to expose them to the NTUC and its important social role. This club is not only open to the children of union members, but to anyone in the target age group. nEbO’s membership is expected to exceed 10,000 by the end of 2007.
6. The recruitment strategy above supports the Inclusive thrust that NTUC has set out to achieve in LM2011. Thus it is coined as the All CAN Recruitment Strategy. All CAN stands for all Collars, all Ages and all Nationalities.
2nd R – Retention strategy
7. Retention, the second R, is also critical in building a strong labour movement. In addition to work place benefits, membership benefits are also important reasons why members sign up and continue to stay with the labour movement. Union members enjoy the collective efforts of their parent unions as well as a range of services and benefits brought to them through the NTUC social enterprises such as the NTUC Club, NTUC FairPrice and the NTUC Income etc. Some benefits such as higher fixed deposit rates, special term life insurance plan and rebates on groceries are exclusively enjoyed by members only. Members also enjoy special discounts and privileges on some services offered to the public by the NTUC’s social enterpises. Where NTUC does not offer a particular service directly to members, it works with strategic partners such as OCBC bank, Shaw Brothers, Exxon Mobil and many others. As the needs of various segments of our membership change, NTUC will also work on customising benefit programmes for them.
8. NTUC will also continue to review and enhance the Union Membership System to support seamless membership so that there will be minimal disruption to members’ status as they change jobs. Enhancing communication with its members through the use of technology via a one-stop interactive website is also in the pipeline. The labour movement hopes that through such a strategy, it will continue to attract and retain new and existing members. The retention strategy focuses on improving every touch point we have with each member, hence it is also called the Improved Touchpoints Retention Staregy.
3rd R – Relationship strategy
9. The third R, or Relationships Strategy, is critical to developing a strong and inclusive membership. The larger the membership, the more crucial it is to build people to people relationships. Differences between the young and the old, the low wage earners and the higher income earners, locals and foreigners are issues that cause expanding social gaps if not proactively addressed. NTUC sees that it has the structure and ability to help in narrowing such social gaps. Nurturing vitality and a sense of belonging in a movement as big NTUC thus cannot be overlooked. Each year, NTUC makes time to celebrate the achievements of the labour movement. Whilst other countries may mark Labour Day with mass protests or demonstrations, NTUC organises many activities such as May Day Carnival and Model Worker Awards to celebrate the contributions of working people to the success of Singapore. Union members work together with their co-workers and enjoy social activities that their branch organises at their workplace. Such bonding is also seen and shared among members of different branches taking part in activities organized by a particular union. Members from different companies, different unions, and different social backgrounds also take part in activities organised by specific interests groups such as MyGolfKaki, UTravel, U Movies, Mummy and Me and many more. NTUC is thus able to mobilize members and their families on key occasions to gather in a tremendous show of solidarity due to the strong bonds. The formation of the largest human flag at the Padang on National Day this year was a successful showcase of the unity and strength displayed by members in the labour movement.
10. Mr Yeo Khee Leng, Member-Centric Director, said at the press briefing, “The strength of the labour movement not only lies with the broad membership base that we have. It is also because of our continual interactions and active engagements with our members that help us build a community of members who can weather tough times and celebrate good times together. We are constantly on the lookout for innovation as we work towards better serving the needs of our members and their families.”
“Hardest Working Card” Campaign Grand Lucky Draw
11. Meanwhile, the labour movement had successfully reached out to its 500,000th members in August through an island-wide membership campaign. The campaign aimed to create a higher level of awareness among all working people in Singapore on the benefits and privileges as an NTUC union member. The “Hardest Working Card” campaign, which spanned over a three-month period, starting 13 May till 31 August 2007, saw an increase of 20,000 members over the three-month period. To welcome new members and to show our appreciation to existing members for their loyal support over the years, the NTUC conducted a lucky draw for all the 500,000 members on 31 Oct 2007. A grand lucky draw to determine the sequence of the top 10 prizes took place on 3 November 2007, Saturday at Downtown East.
12. Secretary-General of NTUC, Mr Lim Swee Say, was invited to draw the sequence of winners for the top 10 prizes at the grand lucky draw. The 10 lucky winners, who were notified beforehand that they had been selected to receive the top 10 prizes, were present to witness the draw. The sequence of the top 10 prizes was revealed at the draw. The 10 winners won prizes ranging from printer, digital camera and plasma television to Alaska cruise. The top prize was a Chevrolet Captiva, worth about $80,000 (without COE, road tax and insurance). This grand lucky draw wrapped up the hardest working card campaign.
Yeo Khee Leng
Member Centric Director
National Trades Union Congress
About National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions in the industrial, service and public sectors representing 500,000 workers in Singapore. NTUC comprises 63 affiliated unions, 6 affiliated taxi associations, 9 co-operatives and 6 related organisations. NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of workers; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement. NTUC's vision is to be an inclusive labour movement for all collars, all ages and all nationalities. For more details on NTUC, please visit our website at www.ntuc.org.sg
About NTUC Membership Department
The NTUC Membership Department was set up to increase the membership for the labour movement. The target for the labour movement is to reach 1 million members by 2015. As at August 2007, the total membership crossed the half a million mark.
The NTUC Membership Department will continue to adopt innovative concepts and new strategies to reach out to all ages of workers, all collars of workers and all nationalities as we strive towards our vision of an inclusive labour movement for all.
Chinese Translations
