The reason to join the union was made all the more clear today when the Industrial Arbitration Court (IAC) ruled in favour of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) and 98 of its members, who had been retrenched from Sealing Technologies Pte Ltd.
At the end of the court proceedings today, IAC president Justice Chan Seng Onn ordered Sealing Technologies to pay out the retrenchment benefits due to its former workers.
UWEEI was represented by the National Trades Unions Congress (NTUC) Director (Legal Services and PME Unit) Patrick Tay.
The 98 aggrieved UWEEI members, with three years of service or more, will receive retrenchment benefits of a month per year of service as per industry norm; with a pro-rated quantum for every incomplete year, instead of the two weeks per year of service which the company had paid, asserting it was sufficient in the circumstances.
Mr Tay said: "The judgment delivered by IAC today is a significant one for unions, NTUC and the Labour Movement as there was no signed collective agreement in this case but the judge agreed with all my submissions put forth to take cognisance of the existence of union recognition and service of the draft collective agreement on the company. It serves to show the important role of unions and why union membership is imperative."
