Against a global backdrop of declining unionisation rate, the unionisation rate of Singapore resident workforce is estimated to have grown by four percentage points from 23 per cent to 27 per cent between 2009 and 2013. This was faster than the increase of one percentage point in the previous five years between 2005 and 2009.
More Support from Companies
The growth in unionisation rate is a result of increased efforts by NTUC-affiliated unions. 95 companies were unionised in 2013, the highest number of companies being unionised in a single year in the past 10 years.
Of the 95 newly unionised companies, 93 of them have awarded direct recognition when approached by unions to represent their employees. Such high degree of direct recognition reflects the willingness and commitment of the management and unions to work together to serve the interests of both the workers and the companies better. It is a win-win for both.
One such example with excellent Labour-Management Relationship is the world’s renowned engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, which was unionised in July 2010 through direct recognition.
Rolls-Royce has built strong labour-management relations with the Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) since unionisation. The management is supportive of the union’s advocacy and assists SISEU in its membership recruitment efforts. Currently, more than 80 per cent of the company’s employees are union members. Rolls-Royce also taps on the Inclusive Growth Programme to enhance workers’ productivity and share productivity gains with the workers. The strong labour-management relationship has helped workers to be better workers, and jobs to be better jobs.
More Professionals, Managers and Executives as Union Members
Besides reaching out to more rank-and-file workers, the Labour Movement is also seeing a steady growth of professional, manager and executive (PME) members. Today, there are 238,000 PME union members, making up 1 in 5 PMEs in the resident workforce, up from 1 in 6 PMEs over the past 10 years. The Labour Movement will continue to roll out more initiatives to serve the needs of all collars of workers, including the PMEs. Our next target is to boost the PME unionisation rate to represent at least 1 in 4 PMEs in the resident workforce over the next few years.
The U Associate (UA) Programme, launched in 2011, is one key initiative targeted at engaging PMEs through professional bodies. Today, there are nine U Associates with close to 7,000 members under the Programme. U Associates such as The Institution of Engineers, Singapore and Singapore Human Resources Institute, among others, work in collaboration with NTUC to support professional development, workplace representation, employment assistance and membership privileges.
The Labour Movement also supports the setting up of PME chapters in our affiliated unions to cater specifically to the needs of our PME members. Through active community engagement, 15 PME chapters have been formed so far to better serve their needs at various stages of their careers. They can also participate in activities that are organised regularly to promote bonding.
Moving forward, the Labour Movement will continue to focus its efforts in strengthening the inclusiveness of its membership: all collars, all ages (3-Generation), and all nationalities of workers in our workforce. “We are committed to ensure our unions can serve not just the rank-and-file workers, but also the PMEs by building a platform for PMEs to network, share their aspirations, and gain access to professional development opportunities customised to their needs,” said Ms Cham Hui Fong, Assistant Secretary-General, NTUC.
With the upcoming amendments to the Industrial Relations Act for unions to be able to represent more PMEs, the Labour Movement is committed and also confident that we will be able to do more, and do better for our PME members.
U Summit 2014
Such strong unionisation growth will not be possible without the dedicated support and concerted efforts of our unions, communities, social enterprises and key partners.
The Labour Movement is pleased that 32 awards were presented at the U Summit 2014, held at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), on 21 August 2014, Thursday. This annual event recognises our unions, communities, social enterprises and key partners for their relentless efforts in recruiting, retaining and strengthening the relationship with members.
RWS and NTUC Membership also inked a strategic partnership with RWS as a Strategic Venue Partner of NTUC Membership, and NTUC Membership as the Strategic Community Partner of RWS. This would pave the way for unions to host their events at RWS at affordable prices, and for our members to enjoy a wide range of privileges at RWS.
“NTUC is seeing encouraging signs as more workers, companies, associations and partners recognise the value of joining the Labour Movement. Our unions and associations are committed to press on with our efforts to provide targeted assistance and career progression opportunities to our members. This will ensure the Labour Movement continues to remain relevant to our members, including PMEs,” said Vivek Kumar, Secretary of NTUC Membership Council.
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