By Fawwaz Baktee
Meet Mdm Sim Siew Lect, a proud grandmother of two and a veteran unionist.
The 59-year-old started her work as an Operations Assistant at MediaCorp in 1981, which was then known as the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.
“I didn’t know much about unions back then, to be honest. Initially, I became a union member because I was attracted by the benefits that came with the membership,” she said.
Her discovery of what unions do began in 1989, when as a member of the Singapore Union of Broadcasting Employees (SUBE), she sought advice for an employment related matter from a friend who was in the union’s Executive Committee.
“It was then I realised that as a member, the union will take care of me by giving advice and guidance when I needed help with employment matters,” said Mdm Sim.
It was the same friend who inspired and helped Mdm Sim to become an Executive Committee (ExCo) member in 1991.
Helping union members with their concerns eventually became Mdm Sim’s passion.
Mdm Sim has served on SUBE’s ExCo as its First Vice-President and President. On 1 August 2015, Mdm Sim was elected to helm the union as its General Secretary.
Leadership Renewal
Speaking of the things she is concerned about, Mdm Sim urged young people to step up and volunteer themselves to be union leaders.
“I have almost reached the age of 62. When I do so, I will have to make way for younger people to lead the union. Young people need to step up and take up leadership roles in unions. If they do not, and no one is willing to step up to lead, then that will be the end of unionism.
“To the young men and women, I want to urge them to take the opportunity to be union leaders. It is for a great cause, as they have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their fellow colleagues,” she said.
Mdm Sim also feels strongly about women taking up leadership roles.
“To me, not only men can be leaders. Women can also do their part by taking up leadership roles. We are just as capable of taking care of our members as we are capable of taking care of our families at home,” she added.
A Cordial Relationship
The labour-management relationship between the SUBE and the management has also been close. According to Mdm Sim, the management works hand-in-hand with SUBE in the interest of its employees.
“The management often sets aside time to meet the ExCo to update us on the company’s upcoming plans. Besides this, a Human Resource representative will also attend our meetings to give feedback, and we will then know if there are any issues we can work on for our members,” said Mdm Sim.
“I believe that it is very important to have a good working relationship with the management. There needs to be a form of communication between the two. We need to do so not to benefit us unions, not for the management of companies, but for the benefit of our workers,” she added.
Source: NTUC This Week
