This year’s National Day Rally speech paid special attention to workers. It’s important to understand why.
The National Day Rally is typically seen as the most important political speech of the year – with the Prime Minister charting Singapore’s future direction and announcing policy changes. This year’s speech opened with COVID-19 as the backdrop that has changed the world as we once knew it. While PM Lee spoke about preserving our […]
Netizens are confused and think that LQS is minimum wage
During the recent National Day Rally (NDR) announcement, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that companies MUST pay a Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) of $1400 to ALL its local employees if they wish to hire foreign employees. Many Singaporeans are confused by this announcement and what the LQS is, mistakenly thinking that PAP has finally […]
NTUC has been lobbying and caring for Lower Wage Workers since 1961
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has been championing workers’ rights over the past decades, since 1961. Things really took a change in 1969, during the 1969 Modernisation Seminar when NTUC decided to take on a more cooperative stance and work with the Government and employers instead of adopting a confrontational approach. On Singapore’s road […]
Cleaning Aunty Mdm Chan: “I feel valued and appreciated for my work!”
It’s hard to imagine working in the same company for more than five years, let alone 10. But Mdm Chan, 57, tells me that she has been working as a cleaner at an audit firm for 12 whooping years. “What made you stay on for so long?” I was curious. You see, most of the […]
Thank you, AUPDRW: No more daily-rated workers in public sector!
The Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers (AUPDRW) has faithfully served daily-rated workers in the public sector for almost three decades through various programmes and initiatives. It began its process of dissolution in June 2021. Previously, these workers were paid based on the number of days they worked in a month. Now they have […]
Shouldering costs so our lower wage workers can be paid more
Recently, it was announced that the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for cleaners, security guards and lift and escalator technicians would see a greater increase, effectively boosting the salaries of all these workers. That’s great news but it also means that we, as consumers, must also play our part. What it takes to implement wage increases […]
Through The Eyes of SIEU Union Leader, Luke Hee
Despite Luke’s relatively youthful looks, this Union Leader has been with Singapore Insurance Employees’ Union (SIEU) since Jan 2000. Having served about 13 years as Deputy General Secretary and later took over as General Secretary of the SIEU in January 2013 to present, Luke is now a member of the NTUC Central Committee — the […]
MP Yeo Wan Ling: “Women Have Once Again Risen to The Occasion”
Labour MP, Yeo Wan Ling shared in a Ministerial Statement earlier this year that she once met with a rather distraught constituent who was very stressed out about managing her caregiving responsibilities at home. This lady’s husband suffers from OCD and she has three young ones with the youngest one being a child with special […]
River Valley High School tragedy spotlights the importance of mental wellness in youths and workplaces
I remember what it felt like when news first broke of the River Valley High School incident on Monday afternoon. Chat groups were going afire, and I was furiously refreshing the news article for updates. One thing rang loudly in all our minds, “How can such a thing be true? How could it have happened […]
Labour Chief: “I’ve heard their experiences of workplace discrimination.”
You probably have heard of the raging conversations surrounding foreign talent, and discrimination against Singaporeans over the years. But did you know that the tripartite partners have also been relentless in their push to ensure Singaporean workers are treated fairly? Of course, there continue to be recalcitrant companies with unfair HR practices, so the work […]