NTUC U SME partner 3E Accounting is now a unionised company after the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) accounting firm signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU) on 20 September 2019.
The company is the first SME accounting firm to be unionised in Singapore.
Under the MOU, all 3E Accounting employees will be encouraged to join the union. The company has also pledged to pay union fees for employees who become union members.
“The union membership aligns closely with 3E Accounting’s employees-come-first culture and represents a key milestone in our continuous journey to achieve greater employee satisfaction, work-life harmony, productivity and employee retention,” said a company spokesperson.
Around 90 per cent of the 30 employees in the company are either Singapore citizens or Permanent Residents.
SMMWU said that the union hopes to extend its social and recreational benefits to union members and to also help 3E Accounting employees to enhance their knowledge, skill sets and productivity.
Both the union and company will now work together to soon formalise a collective agreement.
Commenting on the signing, NTUC Assistant Director-General and U SME Director Yeo Guat Kwang said: “U SME serves as a conduit, in partnership with our network of affiliated unions, associations, SME business leaders and human resources practitioners towards creating and providing progressive workplaces through digital transformation, career progression and welfare for SME employees.
“It is encouraging that the company is forthcoming to take the lead to accord union recognition and is committed to create a stronger labour-management relationship for a better workplace and better job prospects for their employees.”
