If there was a word to describe 61-year-old Zailani Said, it has to be tenacious.
The building and concert hall officer for the Singapore Symphonia Group frequently transits between his main office at Bencoolen Street and the Victoria Concert Hall to ensure that the facilities and equipment are taken care of and operating as they should.
“No big deal,” one would probably say; many people are required to travel for their jobs.
The difference for Zailani is he does so despite suffering from chronic pain in his right leg – an ailment he sustained after being involved in a traffic accident in the early 2000s.
It was an injury so severe that amputation was also an option presented to him at that time.
“I rejected the suggestion. I told the doctor I would rather put up with any pain than be physically disabled,” he shared.
Although it has almost been 20 years since the accident, he still feels pain when he walks, but people who work with him would barely notice it.
How does he do it? A combination of keeping fit and the desire to do his best every day while at work, he shared.
But despite his laudable outlook, the father of four still has concerns about work as he approaches the statutory re-employment age of 63.
He said: “My main concern is whether I will be able to continue working. The work I do is very hands-on and physical, and it requires me to remain fit.
“So the question is, even if the Government extends our re-employment, will I still be able to work and sustain my current role?”
While Zailani supports allowing workers to work for longer, he feels that the trade unions and the Government need to come together to help older workers, who are currently doing more physically demanding roles, transition to lighter roles.
“Unions must really sit down with the Government to look into the best possibility for workers. I think that the standard of living here in Singapore is a bit on the high side, so workers need to be employed for as long as possible – be it in physical or non-physical roles,” he said.
Recently, Zailani participated in one of NTUC’s #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations at Kallang Community Centre, where older workers came together to share their concerns about work as they age.
It was there that Zailani also got to hear the concerns of other fellow older workers on issues such as re-employment contract duration and CPF.
“We could see a lot of concerns about CPF money, increase in our retirement age, but there must be a reason behind it.”
He added that the Government needs to continue to engage workers regarding the need to keep increasing the retirement age.
To prepare himself for the unexpected, Zailani has attended courses that would allow him to set up a home-based business should he one day find himself out of a job.
“We must be prepared for whatever challenges the future brings. Because I think basically, everywhere in the world, we need money. We need money to support our family; we need money for ourselves,” he said.
He added that he hopes that the future for both younger and older workers will be brighter so that workers will not have to work as hard into their golden years.
“My hope for the future is for the best for my children, my grandchildren. We have gone through hardship since day one, and we do not want our children or the grandchildren to experience it,” he said.
Find out more about the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations at conversations.ntuc.sg.
